Many nonprofit organizations are relying on advocacy campaigns to energize supporters and secure funding from those who are able to give. An online advocacy campaign is the perfect social distancing activity that allows your supporters to feel connected to your cause without further straining their wallets. You can solicit real help from people who are motivated to make a difference in the world without ever asking for a cent. 

The best thing about advocacy campaigns is that you don’t have to be an advocacy-focused organization to make them work.  Our tips for running an effective online advocacy campaign include: 

1. Design branded online petitions. 
2. Encourage supporters to call representatives or take other actions.
3. Use online platforms as a contact tool. 
4. Send descriptive action alerts to supporters. 

If your organization is considering running an online advocacy campaign, the first thing you should do is look at ideas and examples from other organizations that have successfully hosted one before. We recommend perusing Salsa’s article featuring successful advocacy examples.

Exploring examples can help your organization get a feel for what aspects of an advocacy campaign are effective. You can start thinking about what others have done that would also inspire your supporters. 

Let’s dive deeper into the top tips for running an effective advocacy campaign. 

1. Design branded online petitions. 

The backbone of an effective advocacy campaign is an online petition. Petitions require very little from your organization’s supporters and can speak volumes if you have enough support behind one of them.

Online petitions engage your supporters because they appeal emotionally and don’t require a financial donation. Plus, you make it quick and easy to sign the online petition and give your supporters a way to feel good about doing good! It’s a quick and impactful way for them to support your cause. 

When you consider launching an online petition, you’ll need to design it well in order for it to yield results. We recommend incorporating the following design tips: 

• Brand your online petition page. It should be immediately apparent who is asking the supporter to sign the petition. While they may recognize the cause you represent, adding your logo to the petition itself provides the immediate visual recognition that this petition is legitimate. They trust you and won’t mind giving you their signatures. 
• Ask for signees’ emails. In addition to their signatures, you should also attain the email addresses of those who sign your petitions. This is because petitions are a great way to engage new supporters. It’s a valuable acquisition strategy for the same reasons that your current supporters love it: it’s cheap, impactful, and fast. And it gives you a way to thank them for supporting your cause!
• Include a clear call to action. Your call to action is the last thing your supporters need to do to submit their signatures. Generally, it’s a button that says, “Sign Now” or something similar. This button should immediately lead supporters to a confirmation page so there’s no doubt that their signature was accepted. 

While your petition itself should be clear and quick to complete, your marketing strategies don’t need to be. When you reach out to supporters over email, social media, or other platforms, use storytelling techniques to encourage them to go to the petition in the first place.

2. Encourage supporters to call representatives or take other actions. 

Calling representatives is another type of online advocacy that your organization can employ in order to make a difference for your mission. Leverage your technology to set up an action page that immediately connects your supporters to their representatives so that they can make calls on your behalf. 

Representatives will be much more likely to take note of your cause if they receive multiple calls from you and your team. In turn, there’s a higher chance they’ll enact legislation that will make a difference in support of your cause. 

Be sure to reach out to the segment of your volunteers in your CRM system. Volunteers have a specific drive to donate their time to your mission. Calling representatives requires just that. If you have other segments of supporters that would benefit from a personal invitation to participate in this advocacy campaign, be sure to reach out to them too. 

Then, after the campaign ends, be sure to save this engagement data in your CRM database. This guide walks you through how to choose a CRM tool that will help you keep up with this type of donor engagement. 

When you invite supporters to contact their representatives, be sure to: 

• Make the calling process as easy as possible. Supporters should be able to simply type in their phone numbers and connect the call immediately. 
• Provide the correct legislator information. If you’re targeting multiple legislators, ask supporters to provide their address, and automatically connect them to the proper representative. 
• Engage with local leaders. For example, you might find that reaching out to a community CEO who can impact your organization’s mission with decisions their company makes. This can be a specific target for your click-to-call advocacy campaign.

To set your team up for success, provide your supporters with a script so that they know exactly what to say when they connect to their representatives. This can be a word-for-word script or a general outline for your supporters to follow in these conversations.

Also – think outside the box with this one!  Advocacy campaigns can be used to encourage action outside of the legislative sphere.  You may want your supporters to contact the CEO’s of large energy companies, the HR executives at big box stores, or trustees at universities.

3. Use online platforms as a contact tool. 

Don’t forget that there are more platforms that your organization can use to reach representatives nowadays. As we rely more and more heavily on our online connective resources, the value of these types of contact tools continues to grow. 

For example, your organization may connect your supporters to their representatives through: 

• Email. Just as we use email more and more frequently nowadays, so do your representatives. They’re bound to notice when they have hundreds or thousands of emails in their inbox regarding the same cause. 
• Facebook. Connect your supporters to their representatives through Facebook. This is a great way to engage your Gen X audience because this age group tends to favor the use of Facebook for their personal engagement too.
• Twitter. Former President Obama paved the way for Twitter’s use in politics. Encourage your supporters to use this social media platform to publicly appeal to their representatives.

When your supporters reach out online, be sure to ask them to include a personal touch on their message to their supporters. This adds additional value and credibility to the appeal that they’re making. This personal touch may be their connection to your organization or what your mission means to that individual supporter.

This doesn’t mean that your supporters should craft the entire message themselves. Rather, you should provide the core message that supporters should email/message/Tweet their representatives. Then, there should be an optional opportunity for additional customization if your supporters would like to share their personal connections. 

Make sure that whatever advocacy software solution you choose to invest in allows for this type of customization for your advocacy outreach.

4. Send descriptive action alerts to supporters.

Maybe all of the above ideas are intriguing to your organization. Or, maybe you prefer to only implement one or two of them. No matter what, you’ll need an effective way to tell your supporters about the advocacy opportunities that are available to them. For instance, you might consider sending action alerts.

Action alerts are used to tell your supporters about the opportunity to participate in your advocacy campaign and allow you to link directly to the campaign page so that they can participate. 

However, you may also reach out in more personal ways to spread the word about the opportunities you’re providing. For example, during your prospect research process (Double the Donation provides a helpful guide to this process) you may find groups or individual supporters who would react more positively to a more personalized approach. 

You may decide to send a specific email requesting the support of individuals or segments of supporters. You may choose to do this when reaching out to your major donors, board members, or other decision-makers, who may feel that a more personalized message is more appropriate. 

However, even these specific audiences should be led to the same action alert page. This page should include: 

• Your branding. Everything from your logo to the colors to the font of the text should match the rest of your organization’s website and other marketing materials.
• An easy-to-follow process. Too many pages, form questions, or complicated features will drive supporters away from the page. Simplify and streamline your action alert pages as much as possible
• Clear calls to action. Tell donors exactly what they’re participating in, whether it’s a petition, click-to-call campaign, or social media outreach. Then, include a large, eye-catching “Submit” button that clearly indicates what their final step should be in completing the page. 

After the campaign is over, don’t forget to thank your supporters for their participation. Thank them just as you would donors who give to your nonprofit. While advocacy participants may not be giving their hard-earned money, they are contributing their time, which can be just as valuable. Show them that you care and value this generous contribution.

Advocacy campaigns are incredibly helpful when it comes to engaging your existing supporters and reaching out to new supporters for your mission. Take full advantage of the opportunities presented with this type of campaign, and you’ll be much more likely to secure support for your cause. 

With the right advocacy software and these 4 helpful tips, your nonprofit should be well on its way to running an effective advocacy campaign.

Gerard Tonti is the Senior Creative Developer at Salsa Labs, the premier fundraising software company for growth-focused nonprofits. Gerard’s marketing focus on content creation, conversion optimization and modern marketing technology helps him coach nonprofit development teams on digital fundraising best practices.

Because of this, you’ll need to carefully research and develop your digital strategy. It’s important to note that a positive user experience is a major aspect of what motivates people to support and engage with your nonprofit online.

When searching for the best digital solutions for your organization, ensure your content management system (CMS) enables you to offer the following key features:

1. Create smooth navigation for users.
2. Feature a well-designed donation page.
3. Optimize for mobile users.
4. Drive engagement with captivating imagery.
5. Post regular blog updates with useful resources.

Making the most of your nonprofit’s technology will both boost your organization’s productivity and expand your reach. Let’s take a closer look at each of these vital features:

1. Create smooth navigation for users.

Don’t expect users to engage with your content if they can’t easily navigate your site. Design your website in such a way that it funnels readers directly to donation and volunteer opportunities.

To do this, strategically place calls-to-action (CTAs), starting from the moment visitors enter your website. Include a CTA on your website’s homepage, leading them directly to the donation page. Usually, this is featured in the navigation menu as a button.

Your navigation bar should be visible on every page of your website. It makes traveling between all of your content and forms easier. However, don’t include all of your pages in your top menu. Rather, keep it to the essentials, featuring important pages like your membership page, your donation form, and your blog resources and group the less important pages as dropdowns.

Smooth Editing Capabilities

Choose a CMS that doesn’t require extensive coding knowledge so that your team can design and update your website quickly and easily. This way, every team member will be able to create new pages and update your navigation menu without confusion or extensive training. A straightforward, intuitive platform will allow your team to:

• Edit your navigation menus. Choosing a CMS that allows you to make edits to your navigation menu without the help of a developer will save your staff valuable time and money. Look for a CMS with a drag-and-drop menu editor and page grouping so you can arrange your menus how you like.
• Easily format your website. A CMS with drag-and-drop editing tools will allow you to create a customized web design. You’ll choose from a set of pre-designed elements and then easily experiment with your page layout to create a clean, navigable look.
• Use live editing tools. When your CMS offers a live editing tool, you’ll be able to edit your pages and view how they’ll look in real-time.

Remember, the structure of your nonprofit website affects the user experience. Don’t overlook the vital step of customization in the web design process!

Looking for inspiration for navigable web design? Check out Morweb’s list of top nonprofit websites.

2. Feature a well-designed donation page.

Nonprofits of all sizes rely on donations to power their missions and propel them toward their goals. Your nonprofit’s website is where most supporters will interact with your organization, so make it count. Since 54% of donors prefer to give online, your website—specifically your donation page—is the most important digital channel for your organization. 

To enhance your online fundraising, your donation page should be your top priority. Optimize your page and drive conversions using these proven tips:

• Feature multiple giving options. To maximize the funds that your nonprofit brings in, start with a recurring donation option. This enables a steady stream of funds for your organization. Then, offer suggested giving amounts. This gives donors a frame of reference when deciding how much to give.
• Cut it down to the essentials. A cluttered web page distracts prospects from completing the donation process. Map out a minimalist design by focusing on condensing your donation appeal and making sure the whole form fits onto one page. Only capture essential data, like donation amount, payment information, and contact information. 
• Brand it to match your website. Branding is a key part of a nonprofit’s digital strategy. When donors click through to your donation page, they shouldn’t feel as though they’ve wound up on another website. Maintain visual consistency with recurring font and colors. Also, clearly display your logo as it’s the most recognizable element of your brand.

Remember, your donation page’s main focus is to guide users through the giving process, so you can secure vital funds. Filling out the form is the last step in this process, so don’t drive them away with a poorly designed page. To continue your research, explore more donation page design tips here.

3. Optimize for mobile users.

These days, most internet users browse the web on their mobile devices, which means potential donors may be viewing your organization’s website on a smaller screen. In fact, mobile users make up roughly half of all nonprofit website traffic, according to Double the Donation’s fundraising statistics. Whether they’re simply browsing to learn more about your organization or to fill out a donation form, your CMS should ensure every page is easy to use on every screen size.

To accomplish this, your CMS should be mobile-responsive, meaning it should allow mobile readers to easily view and interact with your content on tablet and mobile. They shouldn’t have to zoom in and out or rotate their device just to read something. Otherwise, they may wind up abandoning the page due to frustration.

For a positive mobile user experience, your system should adjust all elements to fit any screen size. This applies to:

• Web pages
• Images and videos
• Forms
• Buttons

Ensure your CMS offers automatic mobile responsiveness, so you won’t have to develop multiple versions of your website for smartphones and tablets.

If your website is not mobile responsive, you face the risk of a much higher bounce rate (the rate of people leaving your site after only viewing one page). This is one of the major web design mistakes nonprofits often make, but, fortunately, it’s easily avoidable with the right CMS.

4. Drive engagement with captivating imagery.

One of the most effective web design elements that you can (and should) use is images. The effective use of images can add significant value to all your communications, differentiating you from other organizations. Therefore, you need to be strategic with your image choices and placement. 

To make the most of images on your website, keep these best practices in mind:

• Use them to accompany your narratives. Imagery is a powerful storytelling method. When relevant, feature photos and videos displaying your organization’s beneficiaries as well as your generous donors and volunteers.
• Don’t overload the page. While images are a useful engagement method, too many will slow your page down. Plus, a cluttered page will divide the reader’s focus, making it more difficult to comprehend your message.
• Feature your own images. Generic stock photos aren’t as effective in telling your nonprofit’s unique story. Use photos of real people to evoke real emotions in readers. Make sure they add value to the content and communicate your brand to your visitors. 

When used effectively, imagery can encourage users to stay on your site for a longer period of time. Images help readers absorb the content that’s in front of them. Similarly, videos enhance your user experience and create the same lasting effect on users. Just make sure to apply the same rules as listed above so as not to overwhelm and distract readers.

Use the above visual design tips to set your website up for success. Captivating imagery will help you improve your user experience, lower your bounce rate, and promote your brand all at once.

5. Post regular blog updates with useful resources.

Blogs are an impactful communication method for nonprofits of all sizes. These useful resources allow organizations to keep supporters in the loop with all the progress they’re making toward the overall mission. However, running a blog requires time and organization. Thankfully, dedicated blogging tools simplify this process.

With the right CMS toolkit, you’ll be able to quickly craft your posts and share them directly on your website. The blogging features you should prioritize are:

• A straightforward blog editor. Make sure you can easily draft, format, and edit your blog posts. Like with every other page on your site, match your organization’s visual branding and feature content that your audience will want to read.
• Social media share and follow icons. This way, readers can share their favorite posts with their personal networks and interact with your social media accounts. Encourage them to share your blog content on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and so on. Make sure your social media pages are set up correctly before directing site visitors to your profiles.

Live previews. When using a CMS that offers a live preview mode, you’ll be able to make sure your blog posts look exactly how you want before they go live.

While blogging should be done with your nonprofit’s goals in mind, make sure to tailor content to your readers, too. When you feature useful resources on your site, you’ll maximize supporter engagement. Plus, when done correctly, you can use the resources you create as a means to reach your mission-based goals. 

For instance, you can suggest alternative ways to grow impact, such as corporate philanthropy, volunteering, and so on. Remember, storytelling can go a long way, so feature emotionally-charged stories about those you serve to others to get involved too. Readers will learn about stretching their dollar while your organization will grow support and revenue.

With resources like these, make sure to use CTAs to encourage immediate results. Otherwise, readers won’t have an outlet for turning their motivation into action. Your strategically-placed CTAs should use actionable phrases like “Donate Now!” with a link to your donation page or “Volunteer Now!” with a link to your volunteer registration form. This way, readers will know exactly what their next step should be.

The Gist

A nonprofit’s technology is one of its most important assets. By leveraging the right tech in your nonprofit’s digital strategy, you’ll be much much closer to reaching your fundraising goals. By making the most out of technology, you can build emotional connections and ramp up support. This way, you’ll be able to continue striving toward your mission and fulfilling your cause.

Murad Bushnaq is the Founder and CEO of Morweb. Since its inception in 2014, Murad has acted as Creative Director and Chief Technologist to help nonprofits spread their vision online through engaging design, intuitive software and strategic communication.

As some of your greatest advocates, engaged donors are a valuable resource for your fundraising team as well as marketing your nonprofit’s brand.

Therefore, improving and tracking donor engagement should be a top priority.This may seem like a huge, unattainable task, which is why we’ve broken it down into smaller steps that will make increasing engagement attainable. These ideas include:

1. Conducting research about your donors 
2. Practicing genuine communication 
3. Encouraging conversation on various platforms
4. Using effective fundraising software 
5. Hosting a nonprofit event 
6. Suggesting multiple methods of engagement

We’ll dive deeper into each of these strategies to give your nonprofit an idea of how each one plays into your larger donor engagement strategy.

1. Conduct research about donors

Within your nonprofit’s CRM lies tons of valuable information that can drastically impact your nonprofit’s marketing campaign. The majority of these metrics can be lumped together in a couple of different key categories:

Retention and Acquisition Rates

This is where you measure the first-time donor retention rates, repeat donor retention rates, attrition rate, new donor acquisition rate, frequency of giving per donor, average gift size per donor, and donor lifetime value.

Key Marketing Metrics

This category is where you’ll find metrics such as email conversion rates, email opt-out rates, email open rates, email click-through rates, new email sign-ups, social media views and likes, social media click-through rates, event attendance, and peer-to-peer fundraising participation.

Luckily, all of this information should be stored in the same place, your CRM, for easy accessibility throughout the year.

If your nonprofit uses the world’s leading CRM, Salesforce, check out this donor management article by Salsa. It helps explain how to leverage this data most effectively directly from the CRM platform.

2. Practice genuine communication

There are two main things to keep in mind when you’re focused on creating a genuine line of communication: let your passion shine through and remain as transparent as possible.

Let your passion shine.

You and your staff work at the nonprofit for a reason, likely because you strongly believe in the mission itself. Help your donors believe in this mission as firmly as you do by showing them your own excitement for it.

Remain transparent.

Even if donors don’t need to know particular details, sharing them anyway will help build an element of trust between both parties. For example, taking data from your fund accounting software and directly incorporating it into your annual report ensures your donors are seeing the complete information regarding your financial stability.

3. Encourage conversation on various platforms

Use the metrics you’ve discovered in the first section to identify the most appropriate platform of communication for various segments of donors. For instance:

• Group donors by email response and click-through rates. Use email as your primary method of communication with those donors.
• When it comes to social media, create a segment of donors in your CRM who have often liked your posts, shared posts, have RSVPed to events on social media, and comment or post about your organization.

If you’re not sure what platform your donors prefer, ask them! Simply ask donors how they want to be contacted to take the guesswork out of your communication strategy.

4. Use effective fundraising software

Conduct the necessary research that will help you choose a software solution to bolster relationships and boost donor retention. When you’re making a decision, you should ask yourself key questions about each software such as:

• What types of campaigns can I host with this solution?
• Can I integrate this solution with my CRM?
• How frequently will my data sync with my CRM?
• Can I automate aspects of my strategy with this software?
• Will it be easy to configure? Or do I need to hire a consultant?

Fundraising software is easiest to consider in two different forms: a complete all-in-one solution and a fundraising-specific package.

An all-in-one solution will contain your CRM, fundraising functionality, and marketing functions in a single solution. These solutions, such as those offered by Salsa CRM, are often less expensive and less complicated than a piecemeal of solutions that your nonprofit puts together separately.

A fundraising-specific package is useful if you don’t want an entire overhaul of your tech system, but would prefer to combine some of the software functionality for fundraising-specific tasks. Generally, this means that your nonprofit would prefer to keep your existing CRM. For instance, if you’re on Salesforce currently and want to read more about complete solutions that will integrate, click here.

5. Host an event

Many nonprofits think that all they need to do is host an extra event or two and all of their problems will go away. But be sure to remember that events are only effective for encouraging donor engagement when they’re done right!

So how do you host an event that will help you reach your donor engagement goals?

1. Make your registration page easily accessible. Make it easy for donors to register for your event from your website, social media, and other easy platforms. If you need them to sign a waiver for the event, be sure that’s easily accessible too, as Smartwaiver explains in this blog post.
2. Provide opportunities to get involved from home. For those who couldn’t make the event, you’ll want them to feel involved now and hopefully attend next time. Try live streaming the event on social media or offering online bidding for an event auction. 
3. Remember to say thank you. Thank your attendees for coming to the event and send a survey asking for their feedback. This feedback can help you make sure the event is as engaging as possible in the years to come.

Events serve the unique purpose of helping your team steward donors for the future. Events provide a casual location for your major gift officer to match a face to a name with prospects.

6. Provide multiple opportunities for involvement

The last thing you want is for your supporters to get frustrated with you continuously asking for donations over time. Try asking for non-monetary engagement activities to create ask variation.

The two primary forms of non-monetary engagement include volunteering and advocacy.

Keep in mind that you’ll need the right software to devise an effective volunteer program and advocacy campaigns. If your nonprofit is looking for an all-in-one solution, be sure these are included. If not, look for the right apps and integrations to make it possible.

Volunteering

Too often we hear about unhappy volunteers because they feel overlooked, underutilized, and taken for granted. Volunteers deserve better!

Make sure that when your nonprofit recruits your supporters to work as volunteers, you have a good plan in place to use their talents accordingly. Make sure your volunteer program helps your organization:

• Assign volunteers to do real work for your organization. 
• Provide ample training for your volunteers.
• Steward your volunteers to keep them happy.

Happy volunteers are key to making the supporters feel closer to your mission.

Advocacy

Advocacy campaigns are a great way to spread the word of your organization’s mission to encourage action from your representatives and other community influencers.

Ask your supporters to get involved with:

• Click-to-call advocacy. Encourage them to call their representatives with just the click of a button. Then provide a generalized script to use for the phone call. 
• Online petitions. Ask your supporters to sign the petition and share it on social media with their own online networks. 
• Tweeting representatives. Encourage supporters to call out their representatives on social media. This global networking site is a great platform to bring issues to light. 

Advocacy allows your nonprofit supporters to do their part for your organization from the comfort of their own homes and without digging into their pockets.

Measuring the success of providing different engagement opportunities for your supporters shows how well your hard work is paying off. If certain parts of your strategy don’t appear to be effective, it’s time to reevaluate, re-adjust, and try again!

Written by Gerard Tonti

Gerard Tonti is the Senior Creative Developer at Salsa Labs, the premier fundraising software company for growth-focused nonprofits. Gerard’s marketing focus on content creation, conversion optimization and modern marketing technology helps him coach nonprofit development teams on digital fundraising best practices.

Nonprofits need to be proactive. Rarely do nonprofits focus on planning for negative media attention, and in today’s technology climate, it’s more than just managing the media. Being proactive can save you money in the long run. Negative attention can cause a loss of potential or current funding or cause you to lose key constituents who are engaged in the organization.

Many nonprofits, especially those smaller in scope and scale, think it can never happen to them – until it does. Any number of situations can be cause for negative attention directed at your organization.

Here are three reasons why you need a crisis communications plan for your nonprofit:

The middle of a crisis is the worst time to prepare for the crisis.

A crisis waits for no one. Anything can happen to your nonprofit  –a hurricane that wipes out your office, a board member’s shady past coming back to bite you, an inappropriate Facebook post or even financial challenges. The worst time to try to figure out a plan to respond to these scenarios is after they happen. Many times, it’s not the crisis itself that causes a lack of trust in the nonprofit but rather how the nonprofit responds.

You need an experienced (and well-trained) crisis communications team in place before there is even the hint of an issue. First responders train and prepare long before their first mission in the field so they are more than ready when the time comes. The same principles apply.

You need to identify your crisis communications team members including their roles and responsibilities. You need an actionable checklist of who to notify first so your most protected people and assets are not blind-sided. Then you need a solid plan of when and how to respond. If a plan is created and your team spends time practicing, when the time comes, they will know what to do and can execute with confidence.

Nonprofits are people driven – and people are complicated.

While a good deal of nonprofits provide a thorough vetting of staff, very few do background checks on their board members. Tying board members to an organization means that their reputation is tied to your own. You have no idea what skeletons might be lurking in their closet so you have to be prepared for a worst-case scenario. Whether it’s a bad business dealing or something more personal, if a negative media crisis hits a board member, and his or her role with your organization is indicated – you become part of the crisis. A nonprofit needs to not only know if or how to respond but how best to protect the nonprofit’s reputation as well.

In addition, nearly everyone has a social media presence of some sort today. That means for many people their personal life might be mixing a bit with their professional life. People’s comments on articles are public. Photos can be public. The personal lives of many are on display for all. The chance of someone expressing a view that upsets donors or a constituency is bound to happen. Negative comments can also be left on social media by disgruntled staff and clients.

Getting in front of this information quickly is key. A social media policy can only do so much. A crisis communications plan is the next step in preparedness.

Getting in front of the story – leading the narrative.

With social media and new technologies, it’s not always just managing the media that’s the biggest challenge. Never underestimate the skills involved in dealing with the media during a crisis, but remember it no longer has to be a member of the media who will “break” a story.

All it takes is a well-placed and followed social media story. Today, anyone with an internet connection, recording device and mediocre following can take a nonprofit’s story (even adding their own spin) and create a national crisis for a nonprofit in a matter of hours.

Social media information moves faster and reaches more. Once online, even long after the crisis, the information remains. Nonprofits need early preparedness, a solid plan for moving through the initial crisis and long-term damage control.

Developing a crisis communications plan helps with all steps of the process and more.

_________

Written by Stacy Jones. (LinkedIn)

Stacy Jones is senior project director with The Shoestring Agency. Stacy can be reached at nonprofits@shoestringagency.org or 1-888-835-6236.

• When: March 13–15, 2019
• Location: Portland, OR (Oregon Convention Center)
• How much: $699 – $1,200
• Size: 2,000 attendees
• Presented by: NTEN

Most people who have attended one of these conferences say that they really liked the “energy” and the “people” at this conference. It truly is a unique conference. If you are not a techie, don’t be scared away. There will be something for you at this conference. The “science fair” makes for one of the most fun nonprofit conference exhibitor areas. This conference is usually a sell-out event.

This conference is presented by NTEN and is the nonprofit sector’s signature technology event. We assemble over 2,000 of the best and brightest nonprofit professionals from around the world. Together, they collaborate, innovate, and discover new ways to spark change with technology. With over 100 sessions exploring technologies, best strategies, and pressing issues; an exhibit hall highlighting the latest nonprofit products and services; and networking events ever.

NTEN is where nonprofit professionals learn about and celebrate the ways technology helps them meet their missions. More than 50,000 community members access NTEN’s capacity-building programs and services, including educational courses, the Nonprofit Technology Conference, and online and in-person discussion spaces.

Conference website >

Cause Camp

• When: March 25-26, 2019
• Location: Lincoln, NE (Nebraska Innovation Campus)
• Cost: $499 ($99 for online)
• Presented by: Nonprofit Hub

Cause Camp is a nonprofit marketing, fundraising, and leadership conference. According to its website, the conference is “dedicated to showing nonprofits how to be more remarkable in the areas of marketing, fundraising, leadership, innovation and more. Organizations that attend Cause Camp leave equipped and ready to #CauseTheChange building community and activism.

Cause Camp is put on each year by Nonprofit Hub and our fearless group of volunteers. Nonprofit Hub is an educational resource that’s dedicated to giving nonprofit professionals everything they need to spark more change and better their organizations. We do this day-in, day-out through written articles, podcasts, webinars, online courses and, of course, Cause Camp.”

Conference website >

AFP ICON

• Dates: March 31–April 2, 2019
• Location: San Antonio (Henry B. González Convention Center)
• Cost: $599-$1,149
• Size: 4,000

AFP ICON bills itself as the largest conference in the world for fundraising professionals. With an obvious focus on fundraising, this may not be the conference for nonprofit professionals who only deal with, say, media relations. But most marketing and public relations staff at nonprofit organizations have to wear many hats. Even more often, fundraising folks are expected to also be communications directors. The direct connection between marketing and fundraising is clear, and so is this conference’s bottom line (to improve your organization’s fundraising chops).

If large crowds aren’t for you, you might think twice about this conference as they bring in 4,000 attendees. (The exhibitor booth area is ginormous.)

Conference website >

Engage For Good

• Dates: May 29-30, 2019
• Location: Chicago (Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel)
• Cost: $395 – $1,145
• Size: 300
• Presented by: Cause Marketing Forum

Formerly called the Cause Marketing Forum, this conference takes place in Chicago every year. It is a for-profit conference (not presented by a nonprofit association). You can learn more about Engage for Good here.

Attendees at the conference are a split between nonprofits (some looking for cause marketing corporate partners and others there to showcase their programs) and corporate professionals representing some pretty major brands. Think of it as a dating service to match causes and corporations (in hopefully win-win partnerships).

In addition to the cause marketing partnership focus of the event, many of the individual workshops themselves will offer some fresh ideas for marketing and fundraising. This conference tends to sell out year after year even though it is always in the same city, so that must say something about its quality. (This year, they have moved to a larger venue.)

Conference website >

AMA Nonprofit Marketing Conference

• Dates: Summer 2019 (TBA – usually in July)
• Where: Washington, D.C. (Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown)
• Cost: $550-$850  (depending on timing and membership)
• Size: 250
• Presented by: AMA (American Marketing Association)

UPDATE: AMA has announced they will not be holding this conference in 2019 and will be “rethinking” the conference based on attendee feedback. See statement here.

According to the conference’s website, the AMA Nonprofit Marketing Conference will teach attendees how to reach a bigger audience on a smaller budget, and transform their marketing dollars into maximum impact. AMA stands for the American Marketing Association, which has conferences focused on different “industries” – this one targeting nonprofit organizations. This means, that every workshop and speaker is centered on not only marketing, but specifically on nonprofit marketing (there are very few conferences that do that).

The conference is designed to help organizations become “greater than you thought possible.” It will help attendees: “Gain insight and expertise from some of the top minds in the nonprofit community. Learn the latest best practices and technologies that can make the most effective use of your time and money. This is the community that shares your passion.”

This conference is always held in Washington, DC (during the hottest time of the year).

Conference website >

Nonprofit Storytelling Conference

• Dates: Oct. 28-30, 2019
• Location: San Diego (Manchester Grand Hyatt)
• Cost: $695-$1,195
• Size: 700
• Presented by: Unclear

According to the conference’s website, the event will provide the opportunity to “discover how you can use better storytelling to raise more money, more easily” and “learn how to craft and tell better stories.” The workshops fall into three main categories:

1. Fundraising
2. Leadership
3. Communications

It is not clear from the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference website who presents this conference, but the site is copyrighted by 501 Videos LLC, which is a company that provides video services to nonprofit organizations.

Conference website >

Upswell

• Dates: Nov. 13–15, 2019
• Where: Chicago, IL (Hilton Chicago)
• Cost: $0–$1,450 (some scholarships available)
• Size: 1,400
• Presented by: Independent Sector

(This conference is still in the planning stages and this article will be updated as new details are available.)

Stating that it is “a community and not a conference,” Independent Sector has fresh take on conferences for nonprofit professionals (even calling attendees “changemakers”).

While it isn’t specifically just marketing focused, Upswell 2018 did offer some relevant topics (see a PDF of this past program). The energy that is packed into this conference will also do well to light a fresh fire under your organizations communications initiatives.

According to its website, “Upswell is an immersive, high-energy forum for turning ideas into action. It’s where you can forge new partnerships, address big challenges, exchange lessons learned, and explore best practices for advancing your mission.”

Upswell is the only national conference of its kind because it is presented by Independent Sector—the only national membership organization that brings together a diverse set of nonprofits, foundations, and corporations to advance the common good. Both the National Council of Nonprofits and the Society for Nonprofits stopped presenting conferences years ago.

This is the second “Upswell” conference from Independent Sector. The one in 2018 was held in Los Angeles. Independent Sector is based in Washington, D.C.

Conference website >

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To find a helpful workshop or conference close to you, be sure to connect with your state’s nonprofit association. You can find your nonprofit association, via the National Council of Nonprofits. Most of them have excellent events and educational opportunities.

Nonprofit Storytelling Mini-Guide – from Network for Good

4 Nonprofit Storytelling Tips From Psychology

So, what’s needed to develop a great annual report? A few simple steps can get you started.

First, and foremost, try not to wait until the last minute. If your organization hasn’t been collecting information for the annual report all year long, don’t worry you can still pull one together by trying to make it as simple as possible (and utilizing the steps below).

Plan ahead for next year. As you work on your annual report, keep track of what you wish you had (and make a plan for how you are going to gather the information, stories and photos throughout the new year).

Look back over the last year and make note of all the milestones. that were met and accomplished. Take out your strategic planning documents. Look for any big goals you met and how they impacted your organization. Big fundraising or other events, board or staff leadership changes, and new programs are all items for the report. Basically, any major changes in the organization should be highlighted.

Engage other staff. Some of the best ways to get stories to highlight or generate ideas (like a theme) for an annual report is to include other staff members that are not part of the marketing or fundraising departments. Hold a brainstorming meeting. Send out an email asking for ideas for this year’s theme. People who work on the front lines really understand the impact their organization has on the people it serves (and they are too often not utilized).

Lay the foundation. Instead of just giving an overview of the mission, vision and programs, tell the audience a story. Why does your organization exist? Not your history or how the organization was developed but what need does the organization meet. Show the audience why you do what you do – include research or stats or information about the problem or issues the organization is attempting to address.

Show the impact. Let the reader know by sharing highlights of programs or services from the last year how the nonprofit addressed the issues and problems identified. Definitely highlight your impact with major accomplishments from programs or services including stats if available.

Tell a story. Nothing speaks to an audience better than telling a personal story of a client of the organization. If that’s not possible because of confidentiality, consider at least some quotes about how you impacted them without their name attached. In addition, tell a story about the organization’s impact from a donor, volunteer or even board member and what the organization means to them. Keep in mind that it is essential for you to tell stories from the year that the annual report covers.

Photos & design. Don’t forget to add quality photos that either the organization has taken throughout the year (or quality stock images if that is your only option) to better show impact. Consider having the piece professionally designed as well, especially if your using it as a primary marketing piece for fundraising. Call-outs and infographics should also be created to give short highlights about programs, stats, and impact.

Simplified financials. Almost all annual reports include a financial section. Don’t go too in-depth with financials as it can confuse the audience. Consider a graph or other visual image with totals or percentages that highlight big categories of funding rather than detail every section of the nonprofit’s budget.

Don’t forget to close with a call to action. Always include a small section in the back that speaks to fundraising and delivers a call-to-action to connect the reader to either making a donation or at least visiting the website and following on social media.

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Written by Stacy Jones. (LinkedIn)

Stacy Jones is senior project director with The Shoestring Agency. Stacy can be reached at nonprofits@shoestringagency.org or 1-888-835-6236.

Your marketing strategy needs to be well thought-out so you can accurately portray your organization’s brand, morals, and values. If the public doesn’t know what your nonprofit organization stands for, why would they ever support your fundraising efforts?

Luckily for you, we’ve crafted 3 nonprofit marketing best practices to boost your nonprofit’s fundraising success this year:

1. Choose your methods of communication wisely.
2. Develop an editorial calendar.
3. Use organizational tools.

If you’re ready to learn how to properly market your organization in the new year, let’s get started.

1. Choose your methods of communication wisely.

When it comes to communicating with your nonprofit’s constituency, it’s not just about what you have to say: it’s also about where you say it.

Not only should your marketing strategy account for informing your supporters about campaigns, building a brand identity, and growing your donor base, but it should also account for which channels reach the right people.

To evaluate your communications strategy as it stands, ask your team:

• Which methods of communication are we currently using?
• What kind of constituency are we addressing on each channel?
• What are our communication goals over the next year?

Depending on your communications and marketing goals for the new year, your nonprofit may want to reevaluate which outreach channels you’re leveraging. If you find that your team isn’t reaching the right audience, you may consider adding more channels to your strategy.

Let’s go over some of the key channels you should be leveraging and the kinds of constituents you should target on each channel:

• Email. Connecting with your constituents via email should be at the forefront of your outreach efforts. Because nearly everyone uses email, this is a great way to connect with a broad audience.
  
• Phone. Reaching out to constituents via phone is a great way to connect with individuals who are already established with your organization. You can make solicitations or extend invites to fundraising and volunteer events.
  
• Social media. Connect with younger constituents via social sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Snapchat, and more. Since these sites are where they already are, social channels offer your nonprofit a platform to build your brand while clearly communicating your fundraising needs.One way to get a better idea of the communication channels most appropriate for your audience is by surveying supporters and adding that data to your CRM. (Check out Fundly’s nonprofit CRM guide for even more ways to learn about your supporters.)
  

  2. Develop an editorial calendar.

  One way to boost your nonprofit’s marketing success this year? The best way to stay on top of your marketing strategy year-round is to develop a robust editorial calendar to stay on track.

  An editorial calendar is a tasklist for your marketing committee to follow that encompasses your outreach efforts across all communications channels. Be sure to include some of the following elements when crafting your calendar:
  

  • The dates of your fundraising events.
  • The launch dates and end dates of different fundraising campaigns.
  • Planned dates for sending out various social posts, emails, direct mail letters, etc.
  • Key giving days for your nonprofit.

  Clearly indicate the channels on which you’ll make your outreach efforts, the target audience of the efforts, which campaigns they’re associated with, and any additional information your team may find relevant.

  Some nonprofits find it helpful to work backwards when plotting events on their calendar. For example, if you have a big fundraising event coming up, set the date of the event before deciding when to start advertising for the fundraiser.

  Bonus: Want to learn more editorial calendar strategies? Check out Salsa’s nonprofit editorial calendar marketing team tips to get started.

  

  3. Use organization tools.

  In addition to developing a robust editorial calendar, your nonprofit should make the most of marketing organization tools. (These include social media management dashboards like HootSuite.)

  A dashboard tool like this allows your marketing team to schedule posts, track interactions, monitor important keywords, and share consistent messaging across various platforms.

  Since the success of your digital communication efforts depends upon staying front-of-mind with your constituents, your team should take notice of the ways these will amplify your online outreach.

  Take into account some of these social sharing best practices that will help your nonprofit reach more eyes online:

  • Post visual content. Sites like Facebook and Instagram favor photos and videos in their newsfeed algorithms. This means that the more visual content your nonprofit shares, the more likely it is your post will be the first thing supporters see when they open their apps.
    
  • Engage with supporters. People like to connect with their favorite organizations online, not blindly follow profiles. Be sure to respond to, like, and share your followers’ posts to share the spotlight online. This way, supporters feel more involved with your nonprofit.
    
  • Think mobile. Since most people have their smartphones with them 24/7, your social media engagement strategy should prioritize mobile marketing. More supporters than ever will exclusively interact with your organization on their mobile devices.The best way to stay on top of your social media outreach efforts? Take the time to learn from other nonprofits in your industry.Look to pioneering organizations with a similar constituency to yours. Ask your marketing committee:
    • How does this organization establish their brand online?
    • In what ways is their online community more robust than ours?
    • How do their supporters engage with the organization online in a meaningful way?

    By asking these big-picture questions, your team can take a step back and see where your long-term growth goals should be when it comes to social engagement strategies.

    In the new year, you can start a discussion about ways to strengthen your digital marketing strategy from the ground up and avoid major social media missteps.

    Now that you have our top 3 best practices for nonprofit marketing in the new year, there’s nothing stopping your nonprofit from gaining the exposure, raking in the donations, and finding the success you deserve.
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    Written by Dan Quirk

    Dan Quirk is the Marketing Manager at Salsa Labs, the premier fundraising software company for growth-focused nonprofits. Dan’s marketing focus on content creation, conversion optimization and modern marketing technology helps him coach nonprofit development teams on digital fundraising best practices.

Here is a check list to jump start the conversation at your organization:

Are staff members reluctant to use your organization’s logo because they feel it does not project the right image? To put it simply, are you proud of your nonprofit’s logo? If you and your staff are not excited about your logo, no one else will be either. It may be time to think about a change. It doesn’t hurt to ask volunteers, clients and the public what they think about your logo. Just don’t get defensive when they give you their honest opinions.

Are you using a logo that doesn’t work just so you don’t hurt someone’s feelings? Nonprofits tend to depend on giveaways. Many times this is also the case with an organization’s logo. Whether it is the founder of the organization or the godson of your biggest donor that designed your organization’s logo as a “favor” – there is no excuse for continuing to use a logo that just doesn’t work. Better yet, don’t let your nonprofit be in this position in the first place.

Does your organization’s logo look like someone else’s logo? If your staff often hears, “your logo looks just like so-and-so’s logo,” book a meeting about your logo in the conference room right how.

Does your logo look good when it is copied, faxed or resized? Often, a logo looks great when it is printed in full color or viewed on a monitor. But a seven-color logo is no use if it does not reproduce well when copied in black and white (assuming your organization can’t afford to always print in full color). Hard-to-read type treatments can also cause issues that can make a logo utterly useless. In some cases, your organization may not need a completely new logo, but perhaps an altered version of one that has limitations.

Does your name and logo say you do something or serve somewhere that is inaccurate? In many cases, nonprofit organizations simply outgrow their names. If you now serve all 12 counties in your state, but your name still states “Tri-County,” you need a new name. Keep in mind your ever-growing services and mission to make sure you select a name that you won’t outgrow again in the future. The same goes for services. If your name states that you do one thing but now you do eight, you should have changed your name when you moved into that new building during your organization’s latest expansion. But it is never too late to get it right – even if it means having new signs made.

Do people call your organization thinking you are something you are not? An example of this is a child therapy center that constantly receives calls because their name sounds like a children’s clothing store. If the public thinks you are something you are not, then you are making the communications game a lot harder than it has to be. To investigate this, include staff members that answer the phones and email in the conversation. If the public thinks your organization is something you are not because of your name, it is probably time to explore a new one.

If your organization does decide to take the plunge and create a new logo, or even a new name, it is always a good idea to bring in an outside consultant or volunteer to assist you in the process. A fresh approach always begins with gaining new perspectives. And remember, a “logo” is not your organizations “brand” – although both need to be discussed and developed at the same time.

Keep in mind that your logo is not supposed to do it all. You don’t need an icon that represents everything you do cluttering up your logo and your brand. Simple is always better. A logo should be supported by a proper tagline (which is much easier to change in the future than a logo or name) and targeted messages.

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Written by Hannah B. Gregory. (LinkedIn)

Hannah B. Gregory is a nonprofit marketing expert, PR strategist and founder of The Shoestring Agency. As an expert in the field, she and has been interviewed by Marketplace on NPR, NBC News and others. A trained and experienced journalist, she has a passion for helping nonprofits tell their stories and working with the news media to produce meaningful coverage. Hannah can be reached at nonprofits@shoestringagency.org or 1-888-835-6236. Follow her on Twitter at @NonprofitHannah.

Be aware of these seven pitfalls when venturing out into the world of social media.

1. Setting up your nonprofit’s Facebook account as a person instead of a page.

This is of the most common mistakes made by nonprofits when they first begin using Facebook. Some do it on purpose for a variety of well-meaning reasons, while others simply don’t know any better. A nonprofit should always create a page and categorize it properly as a nonprofit organization.

Ideally, nonprofits want to have thousands of supporters on Facebook, and personal accounts allow a maximum of 5,000 friends.

2. Not fully thinking through the name for your Facebook page.

Branding is always important, so of course it is important on your Facebook page. At a basic level, there are two primary branding components on a Facebook page: Your organization’s name and your profile image. While this seems simple, remember that once the Facebook page you created for your nonprofit has 100 fans, you can no longer change the page name (your image, on the other hand, can be changed as many times as you desire).

This Facebook rule has become a frustrating annoyance for many nonprofits, particularly if there have been mergers or name changes of any kind.

There are currently two options to get around this rule if necessary: Either create a new page and ask your supports to “like” you there instead; or stay with the original name.

Regardless, when you initially create your page, be sure to take the name into close consideration.

3. Creating a community page as your organization’s Facebook page.

“Community” pages are not intended to represent a single organization. Instead, they are intended as a place where people who have a shared interest can connect, get information and share ideas. “Cooking” or “Motherhood” would be examples of community pages.

Most importantly, it is important to know that Facebook maintains full ownership and control over all community pages. Facebook’s goal is to make the pages “the best collections of shared knowledge” on a particular topic.

Nonprofits may want to collaborate with other nonprofits that care about the same cause, and creating a community page for this purpose may be a good idea.

For example, a community page about “Finding a Cure for Huntington’s” or “Creating Safe Neighborhoods in Brooklyn” could be worthy topics that would find a following.

But the nonprofits that instigate the online community need to understand that they are not in control – Facebook is.

4. Creating a Facebook group instead of an organizational page.

There are two types of Facebook groups you can create: Private or public. There may be a variety of reasons for a nonprofit to have either type of group (perhaps they are a membership organization or they provide support groups).

But nonprofits should always begin with an organizational page, and then create groups needed to further their missions and provide services to stakeholders.

5. Creating a Facebook page, but not monitoring it properly.

There is a debate over whether or not nonprofits (or businesses for that matter) should delete Facebook posts or comments (which some equate to censorship).

At the very least, nonprofits should monitor their pages for posts and comments that are inappropriate or that are spam.

Don’t let anyone use your organization’s wall to promote their own products or agendas, and always monitor all comments for inappropriateness.

6. Signing up for Twitter when you really don’t have the time for Twitter.

Twitter can be a great marketing communications tool for a nonprofit, but only if it is able to invest time on a regular basis. If your organization wants to get to know Twitter, I recommend you first simply join as an individual and use it as an information consumer.

It is a great time-saving tool for getting information from the organizations and causes that you care about.

Start there and determine if it makes sense for your organization to make it a priority. If you don’t have time to do something on Twitter on a regular basis, you are better off not creating a profile for your nonprofit.

7. Using an entire logo, rather than a graphic icon, as a profile photo.

Graphic icons in logos are making a very strong comeback as a response to the need for a strong social-media brand icon.

The best branded nonprofit Facebook and Twitter users typically don’t use their organizations’ entire logos as their profile photo. Instead, they use the graphic icon (think red ribbon for AIDS awareness) as the profile photo. It is important to understand that most people will see your icon as a very small image, so make sure what you choose works. And keep in mind that your organization’s name will appear next to the icon, so there is no need to repeat it by having using the full logo.

Take the time to think about what will work best to meet your organization’s brand guidelines and strategic goals.

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Written by Hannah B. Gregory. (LinkedIn)

Hannah B. Gregory is a nonprofit marketing expert, PR strategist and founder of The Shoestring Agency. As an expert in the field, she and has been interviewed by Marketplace on NPR, NBC News and others. A trained and experienced journalist, she has a passion for helping nonprofits tell their stories and working with the news media to produce meaningful coverage. Hannah can be reached at nonprofits@shoestringagency.org or 1-888-835-6236. Follow her on Twitter at @NonprofitHannah.