Are You a Non-Profit Rock Star?

Independent musicians are often technological trailblazers. From their embrace of social media, to their march toward different ways of engaging fans and selling their music, a lot of indie bands have been on the cutting edge of the intersection of technology and commerce. So I like to keep an eye on what they're doing. This post caught my attention last week, and although it's written specifically for indie bands, I think it has a lot of great lessons for nonprofits as they try to navigate high-tech waters and engage their donors -- particularly the next generation of donors.

So here are my suggestions for nonprofits who want to make the leap to nonprofit rock star:

Rethink the Way You Build Your Donor Base

This isn't going to happen overnight, but a lot of organizations are already starting to look at how they're acquiring donors and how they can do it better. Direct mail is still a viable way to go, and the Web is certainly upping its numbers ever year. But what else could you do?

• Deliver quality content. Too many organizations send out email blasts because they're on the schedule, not because they have something important, interesting and actionable to say. Send emails your recipients want to open. Try surveys or petitions to get them involved. Link to articles you found interesting. Send a video greeting from your ED or a celebrity supporter. And please, resist the urge to bombard them with asks for money.
• Be social on your social media. Engage with your followers. Start conversations, send good wishes, share cool information or funny videos. Don't be so scripted and regulated that you sound like an institution -- let your organization's unique charm and personality shine through.
• Give your donors the Thing they want. Why do people give to your organization? What do they hope to accomplish? Why YOU? Deliver that. Tell stories, stream video, thank them. Make them feel like a vital part of your work.

Find New Revenue Streams

This isn't just for indie bands. Nonprofits need to get creative with their fundraising if they want to raise more money. And today, there are as many ways to do that as there are organizations.

Of course, there are the tried and true ways to expand your revenue stream. If you're not already maintaining a Sustainer program, encouraging Planned Giving, and working on upgrading current members to higher giving levels, well…get on that!

But consider these other ideas, too.

• Crowdfunding for specific campaigns, or for events like birthdays, weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs and anniversaries.
• A "store" that sells itemized portions of your work. $25 to feed a puppy for a month. $100 to save five acres of rainforest. You get the idea.
• If your ED or board members travel, consider asking them to host members-only house parties or other events in the cities they visit. It's a great opportunity for some face-to-face fundraising, and it makes your donors feel valued.

Stop Believing in the Magic Bullet

There is no magic bullet. There is no one fundraising solution that will work for now and for always. You're going to have to continually reinvent your fundraising as new tools become available and as donors become more sophisticated. That doesn't mean throwing out the tools that got you where you are today, though.

You need to have a whole catalog of songs, oldies and new releases, to play for your donors if you want to be a nonprofit rock star.

Getting Organized for the New Year

I may rarely end -- or even get halfway through! -- the year organized, but I like to start out with my thoughts marshaled, my supplies in their places, and my plans laid out. Here are four ways I'm getting organized in 2014: Less Paper. This is tough one, since I work in direct mail, which is a paper-based business. But just because the end product ends up on paper doesn't mean I have to use it day to day. I'm learning to edit effectively on-screen, only opting to print pieces on the last pass. I have developed a pretty sophisticated virtual filing system that includes art, proofs and email communications from clients. I'm even learning to type my notes during a conference call, rather than jotting them into a notebook first -- although I admit that's a work in progress.

Eliminating as much paper as I can is great for the environment, of course. But it's also great for my sanity and my time. No more filing, no more space taken up by bulging folders, and no more paper cuts!

Lists and more lists. I know some people aren't list-makers, but I am. I love to make global lists of things I hope to accomplish this year, as well as the micro lists of daily and weekly tasks. But if you're not into lists, try a spreadsheet or even a Venn diagram -- my husband the former architect enjoys drawing his to-do tasks. The act of jotting down your goals will help you remember them and hold you accountable to achieving them.

Taking Time for Me. I often short-change myself in my rush to complete all my tasks -- and my house isn't even that clean! I'm not sure what's going to be pushed aside this year, but I am determined to take time each day to focus on myself and what I need. I'm confident that it will make me a better consultant, wife, parent, neighbor and friend. Even if it does mean the floor stays dirty.

Be Ready for (Almost) Anything. I often find myself needing to adjust my plans, and when I don't have the right equipment, it slows me down -- and sometimes keeps me from doing things altogether. When the car breaks down, I want to be ready to bike, so I'm getting my winter biking gear stowed together for easy transitions from four wheels to two. When a colleague calls me for lunch, I'm going to be ready to leave the house instead of scrambling to find a clean pair of pants or to brush my hair for the first time that day. And when working at home isn't going so well, I want my laptop bag ready to roll, so I can hit the road without losing too much of my day.

What are you doing to get yourself organized in 2014? Any other tips for me? I could use them!

2013 Reflections

Now that all three of my children are in school, I've noticed that time seems to move much more quickly than it used to. Although it's been an entire year, I'm still not entirely used to the idea of 2013…and here we are almost at 2014. Which means it's time to reflect! I rarely make New Year's resolutions, but I do like to take a few minutes at the end of every year to think about what has changed this year, and ponder where I'd like to be at the close of the next.

And part of those reflections is asking myself how well I served my clients this year, how the relationships are working, and how we can work to achieve even more in the coming year. Even if you're not a consultant, I think these are valuable questions to ask yourself at any time of the year:

What surprised you about the last year? Good or bad, surprises have things to tell you. Did a campaign you thought was sure-fire actually bomb? Did a relationship go awry? Did an idea you had on the fly turn out to be a life-saver? Reflect on those things that surprised you -- and why you didn't see them coming.

What worked well? It's easy to focus on what's not working, but I think the more helpful trail to follow is what is working. Chip and Dan Heath call it "following the bright spots" and I've found it to be incredibly helpful as I move forward each year. Where are things going right? Can you pinpoint why it's working so well? What can you do to keep that momentum going and even expand it? Can you apply any of those lessons to other areas of your life? While dwelling on things that went wrong might be tempting, looking at what went right often yields more positive results.

How can you make things that aren't working better? That's not to say that you shouldn't examine your failures. I had a colossal mess on my hands at one point this year, and although I'd love to pretend it never happened, I know that it actually has a lot to tell me about where I want to go in 2014. Where did you fail this year? How can you turn that failure into a positive next year?

I enjoy all this reflecting -- and find it deeply helpful. But even better is coming back to work on January 2nd and beginning to make my reflections reality. Bring on 2014!

(But if reflection isn't for you, you could try one of these ways to welcome in a New Year.)

Cheers! And see you in 2014!

What the Veronica Mars Kickstarter Can Teach YOU

There has been a lot written about the Veronica Mars Kickstarter project and its implications for how movies are funded. Launched last week, the project reached its $2 million goal on the first of its 30 days. With 18 days to go, it has almost doubled its initial goal. I’m excited on a personal level because I was a big fan of the show and am looking forward to watching another 90+ minutes of Mars-y goodness. But what really intrigued me is what the project can teach fundraisers.

If you’re not familiar with the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, check out their FAQ. In a nutshell, it’s a way for artists and other creative types to collectively fund their projects. Musician Amanda Palmer financed her successful album Theatre is Evil via a Kickstarter campaign, and two documentary short films funded by the platform went on to be nominated for Academy Awards.

Though there has been a lot of backlash against the Veronica Mars project – the money is going to fund a movie that the studio will profit from! There are so many worthier causes! These people are millionaires and should fund the movie themselves if they care so much! – there are some really powerful fundraising lessons embedded in this campaign.

1. They asked. Lots of fans have been clamoring for a Veronica Mars movie for years. The stars of the show and the show’s creator wanted to do it, but it was stuck in development hell, languishing for lack of financial support. So creator Rob Thomas figured out what he needed, explained it to his supporters, and asked them to fund it.
2. They have a well-articulated plan for the money. They set a campaign goal for the minimum amount they needed and then made a plan for what they’d do if they received more. Donors to the campaign were informed up front exactly how their money would be spent and what their contribution would make happen. They also told people what would happen if the Kickstarter goal wasn’t met and explained why this campaign was the best way for everyone to get what they wanted.
3. They acknowledged their supporters. Sure, they offered plenty of swag – that’s part of the Kickstarter model. But they also immediately thanked all supporters as soon as the campaign achieved its goal. And they kept thanking them, offering new incentives and updates as the campaign continued.

People have a choice of how to spend their money – and that counts for charities too. The Veronica Mars Kickstarter shows how loyal your supporters can be. Years after the show went off the air, fans jumped at the chance to get one more story from the series.

But it also shows that when you have a loyal base of supporters and you treat them with respect, candor and gratitude, you can fund even your most audacious projects.

Testing in a Tight Market

One of the joys of working with a large nonprofit is the ability to test -- from how you visually present your message, to who you choose to mail to, and what special offers you make, when you're mailing for the big guys, you have the chance to really hone in on what works best for your audience. But what if you're a small shop with a small list and a smaller pool of resources to devote to direct mail? How can you test and refine your mailings until you know you're getting the most bang for your buck?

You may not be able to do a split test on any one mailing, but if you're clever and creative, there are still ways you can tell what's working and what's not in your direct mail.

Use Your Swipes

Those of us who work in direct mail are obsessive about checking our own mailboxes because that is one of the best places you can go to get ideas about what's working in today's direct mail.

And I'm not just talking about keeping an eye on the nonprofit organizations you give to. For profit companies -- from banks and financial institutions, to magazines and catalogs -- mail millions of pieces of direct mail each year and have budgets for testing that most nonprofits only dream about. And sure, you might not be able to include a handful of inserts, but can you crib a few ideas about what works from them and apply them to your own packages?

Bonus tip: if you're not on the lists of other organizations in your sector, sign up! A small donation gets you a fine sample of renewals, special appeals and cultivation mailings that can give you a really great picture of what's hot in your niche.

Cheap and Easy Tests

If you can divide your list but don't have a lot of money to spend, there are a few things you can test with little-to-no up front investment.

• Try a lasered upgrade message test on the reply form. You're already lasering donors' names and addresses (and if you're a very small shop, you might be printing everything on your desktop printer!) so it shouldn't cost you much, if anything, to test two different lasered messages.
• Play with color. Too many organizations get stuck in a color rut, which can be great for sending a strong branding message...but might get you ignored in direct mail. Try substituting a different color for black -- dark blue or dark green, maybe. If you absolutely have to limit yourself to approved logo colors, try using them in unique ways -- a graphic band at the top of a page, highlight specific words in the text with color, or use screens to create a layered look.
• Along those same lines, use graphic elements to call attention to your pieces. Give your designer freer reign within the same cost parameters. Bands of color (or black), reversed out headlines, handwriting and other specialty fonts, and color screens don't generally cost any more than more straightforward design, as long as you're not bleeding off the edges or adding colors.

The Long Haul

If you've got a small list but a little money for testing, try testing the same thing over several mailings. That way you can get a more statistically significant pool of results than you can on one small mailing that might include a surprisingly large gift, or have its results impacted by things outside your control.

Bonus tip: if you're testing something on a component that doesn't need to change from one mailing to the next -- say, a colored stock reply envelope -- you can print ahead for the second mailing, which will save you money due to economies of scale.

Bottom line: money's tight for everyone. Even the big organizations are cutting back. But you can still find ways to be innovative and creative and continue testing, even on the most constrained budget.

Three Ways to Collect Testimonials

We all know we should be collecting testimonials from our Members, board members, constituents, volunteers and those affected by our organization's work. They're the stuff of fundraising gold, able to leverage gifts more effectively than any facts and figures can ever do.

But how do you collect them?

Listen

Nonprofit professionals work long, hard, often thankless hours. By the time you answer that 50th phone call or head off to that Friday night Member event, it's hard to remember what your own name is, much less to muster the energy to actively chase down testimonials.

So don't.

All you have to do is listen. People want to tell you their stories. They want you to know why they support your organization and what your cause has meant to them. Give them the space to say what they want to say, and they'll give you the gift of a shining testimonial. (You might have to take notes, though!)

Ask the Right Questions

Some people need more guidance than others. If you find yourself with someone who has a story to tell but doesn't know how to tell it, ask them a few questions to get them thinking in the right direction:

• How did you become involved with this organization/issue?
• Why are you passionate about it?
• What have you seen personally that drives you to support this organization/issue?
• What does the organization's work accomplish? For you? For your community? For the world?
• What would the world look like if this problem was solved?
• What are the barriers to solving it?

Any one of these questions can get people's testimonial juices flowing -- and give you oodles of great stuff to use in your fundraising.

Get Everyone In On the Act

Testimonials are great for fundraising, but collecting them is not just the job of fundraisers. In fact, the best testimonials often come from program staff as they're out in the field because they're the ones who see firsthand what needs to be done and how your organization is progressing.

All staff members -- program staff, executive staff, board members, interns and volunteers -- should be on the lookout for good testimonials.

Make it easy for everyone with these ideas:

• Create a special Testimonials folder on the file server
• Put a box on the conference table for collecting handwritten stories
• Make a My Story form donors and friends can fill out at events
• Learn how to use the audio recording feature on your smartphone so you can capture stories in the moment
• Give a prize for "Testimonial of the Month"
• Start every staff meeting off by reading one or two of the stories you've collected to inspire and inform

How does your organization collect and share testimonials? I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Tip O' the Moment

Swipes I love, love, love my swipe file. A fat folder sitting on the corner of my desk, that baby contains all the direct mail I receive -- not just from nonprofits I belong to (or that are trying to woo me), but credit card offers, business-to-business mail, catalogs...if it comes to me through the mail, it goes into the file.

I mine that file for ideas nearly every time I start a new project. Many prove too expensive for nonprofits, especially those with small files. But often, even those expensive ideas can be adapted in some way for testing on smaller lists.

I cull old swipes once a month or so, but there are a few gems that stay in the file for several months.

Try keeping your own swipe file and see what new ideas you can put to the test in your mail program.