The post Oops! 36 Subject Lines and Phrases to Help You Fix Email Mistakes  appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).

Emoji! These little symbols are exploding in number and placement in our digital lives. Wired called them “the first language born of the digital world.”

In 2015, Oxford Dictionaries named emoji as its “Word” of the Year, when they moved beyond millennial messaging and exploded into the global mainstream.

Today, emoji have made their way into almost all forms of digital communication, and beyond. There was The Emoji Movie, countless examples of people trying to imitate emoji, and earlier this year, ESPN Brazil, in partnership with Samsung, turned its SportsCenter hosts into emoji.

There’s even a World Emoji Day – July 17. Here’s how a few nonprofits cleverly celebrated:

Happy #WorldEmojiDay! Even though there’s no library emoji (yet), we’re still celebrating. How would you express the idea of a library using only emoji? #LibrariesTransform pic.twitter.com/6XvdXXmmqj

— American Library Association (@ALALibrary) July 17, 2018

#ForEveryChild, ?.#WorldEmojiDay pic.twitter.com/wKOFTAM7wz

— UNICEF (@UNICEF) July 17, 2018

Here are some of the species we’re fighting to save from extinction:

??????????????

Without the Endangered Species Act, these species will be in deep ???#esaworks #WorldEmojiDay

— Center for Bio Div (@CenterForBioDiv) July 17, 2018

A #HabitatforHumanity emoji story:
?????????????????#WorldEmojiDay! ??

— Habitat for Humanity (@Habitat_org) July 17, 2018

But these tiny, emotive characters are more than fun and cute. They can be effective marketing tools for nonprofits.

The Potential Energy of Emoji is Enormous

Emoji can get more emails opened, make messages more memorable, and boost engagement. They save space, convey emotion and, for now, stand out in crowded inboxes and feeds.

Here’s some stats of emoji’s potential in digital marketing:

• EMAIL: When used appropriately, emoji can help trigger higher response rates than traditional email
• TWITTER: Emojis in a tweet can increase engagement by 25.4 percent
• FACEBOOK: Emojis in a Facebook post can increase the number of likes by 57 percent and the number of comments and shares by 33 percent
• INSTAGRAM: Use of Emojis can lead to 47.7 percent more interactions on Instagram
• APPS: Push notifications with emojis saw 85 percent greater open rates on average, compared to those sent without emojis
• TEXT: Text messages with emojis have a higher response rate
• MEMORY: Participants who were sent messages with emojis scored higher on memory than those who were sent messages without emojis
• SATISFACTION: Participants who chatted online with an expert who used emojis rated the expert as both friendlier and more competent

OK, that’s the potential.

Reality Check

Now let’s talk reality. Like any tactic or tool, emoji are not marketing fairy dust. As of June 2018, there are 2,823 standard emoji to choose from (with more coming every year), and not all of them are going to work for your people.

You still have to know your audience and use the tool wisely.

Before we dive into tips, you should know:

Top Emoji on Apple iOS (in the U.S. among English speakers):

On Twitter (August snapshot via Emojitracker.com):

Tips For Using Emoji In Your Nonprofit Marketing

Find Emoji on Emojipedia

This is my go-to resource for finding and copying emoji for digital communications on my laptop. For mobile, if an emoji keyboard isn’t standard, you may have to install an app, depending on your device.

Make Sure It Works

Not all emoji show up properly in email clients. Test to make sure your emoji display properly in email.

Know Your Tone

Just because an emoji is popular, doesn’t mean it’s right for your cause. You still need to be relevant to your audience, and your audience has to understand what the emoji means.

Emoji can be emotional, or simply informational. They can be culturally diverse, with different skin tones, hair colors (and no hair) and genders. Spend some time researching options. You can search a particular emoji on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see how others have used it. (Scroll through your own inbox, too. What stands out?)

(HINT: Find the emoji you want on emojipedia.com, and scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page for quick search links for that particular emoji on popular social networks.)

Don’t Go Overboard

Begin conservatively and measure your reaction. Emoji aren’t something you want in every subject line or you’ll risk emoji burnout. And you shouldn’t force 10 emoji in your message just to appeal to millennials. A/B test if you can.

Words Still Matter

Sometimes emoji don’t display, so, especially in email, you still need words to convey your message.

Keep Reading

A Practical Guide to Using Emojis in Email – Email on Acid

These Emojis Can Increase Click-Through Rates, According to New Data – Hubspot

The Emoji Report – Brandwatch

What We Can Learn From Our Most Frequently Used Emojis – Contently

Does Using Emojis on Instagram Lead to More Engagement? – Agorapulse

The Wired Guide to Emoji – Wired

Using Emoji and Symbols in Your Email Subject Lines – Campaign Monitor

Have you experimented with emoji in your marketing? How did it go? Share your experience in the Comments section. Thank you!

The post BEYOND CUTE: Why Nonprofits Should Try Emoji In Their Digital Marketing appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).

Photo by Anastasiia Tarasova on Unsplash

Who doesn’t love a monthly donor? 

These loyal supporters are the pillars of solid, progressive fundraising programs. They’re retained at an exceptionally high rate of 85-90 percent, compared to an average retention rate of 45 percent for all donors, according to the 2017 Fundraising Effectiveness Survey Report. And they stay longer – between five and seven years. 

So, how do you get more monthly donors? If you’re just starting out, check out my post 6 Ways to Get More Online Monthly Donors. 

And here’s a 7th way, one that’s quietly, steadily boosting online monthly donor recruiting for nonprofits that try it. 

The Upsell Lightbox

Website lightboxes, also known as popups, display a box that floats on top of the web page, dimming out the rest of the content. 

We’ve all experienced them. And love them or loathe them, they work. (SEE: After-Action Pop-Ups: The Secret to Getting Gifts From Your Online Advocates)

NOTE: If you use lightboxes of any sort, don’t run afoul of Google’s rules. 

The upsell monthly donor lighbox appears after a donor has completed some portion of your online donation form. The lightbox invites donors to convert their one time gift into a monthly pledge, and there is always a “no thanks” option for donors who want to complete their single donation. 

Here are a few examples: 

Alaska Wilderness League (h/t Blake Mizelle, Longleaf Digital)

Humane Society International (h/t Sarah Ali, Digital Strategist, Grassriots, Inc.)

Middle Collegiate Church (h/t Jon Wheeler, Partner, PowerThru Consulting)

No Kid Hungry (Source: blog post) 

And Now, the Questions

I’ve got a monthly giving check box on my donation form. Isn’t that enough?
Check boxes are easily overlooked. Lightboxes grab attention. There’s no reason you cannot use BOTH a check box and a lightbox to encourage monthly giving. 

Will the lightbox frighten off single-gift donors? 
In my experience and conversations with other fundraisers, the answer is no. People are quite used to swatting away a lightbox in which they aren’t interested and continuing on with their task. 

What kind of results can I expect?
Like most things in fundraising, you’re mileage may vary. I’ve seen anywhere from 2.5 percent to 28 percent more monthly donors recruited with a monthly upsell lightbox. That’s quite the range! There’s a lot to experiment with, from creative to timing to the offer. For example, will you use the lightbox every month, or only during high-traffic campaigns?  

Things to Consider

Should my nonprofit try it? 
Are you getting a decent number of online donations in a year (1000+)? If so, consider testing the upsell lightbox. If you only process a few dozen or hundred online donations, it’s not worth the tech and time investment. 

And, do you have a strong monthly giving program in place? If not, you’re better off investing in getting a monthly giving program off the ground. 

Where to put the popup?
Don’t deploy the popup too soon. Give the donor the opportunity to fill out most of your donation form, but trigger the popup before the donation is completed. 

Which donation levels get the popup? 
Depending on your online gift string, trigger the lightbox for gifts at the $20 or higher level, but be sure to turn it off for the higher gift levels ($500 or $1,000+) where monthly giving is unlikely. 

What kind of monthly offer should the donor get? 
Propose a monthly gift amount based on a rule or an algorithm based on the single gift amount the donor selects. For example, if the donor selects a $20 donation, you might invite her to join your monthly giving program at the $5/month level ($60/year). A $100 donor might get a $15/month offer ($150/year). Never propose a monthly amount that would end up being less than the single gift amount the donor chose. And always allow the donor to put in her own monthly gift amount. 

Make sure you measure. 
What gets measured gets improved. To measure the effectiveness of your upsell lightbox, be sure to track the before-and-after page complete rate, number of monthly donors recruited each month, and average monthly gift amount for new monthly donors. 

Have you tried an upsell lightbox? Or did you respond to an upsell during your own single-gift donation? Share your experiences and questions in the comments below.

The post Want More Monthly Donors? Learn to Love the Lightbox appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).

Earlier this month, I put a call out to nonprofits communicators asking them what worked for their organization on Facebook in 2017. A tactic or tool that they would use again in 2018.

A day later, Facebook Zero happened. The world’s most popular social networking site announced major changes to its newsfeed algorithm, changes that would see most nonprofits organic page reach plummet even further.

I was left wondering – would any tactic nonprofits used in 2017 work anymore?

Diving deeper into Facebook’s intent – to make “sure the time we all spend on Facebook is time well spent” — it’s become even more clear that Facebook Live video, among other tactics, will work in the new newsfeed.

Facebook Live is built to encourage engaging conversations with your followers, from notifying viewers that you are live, to letting you and your followers interact in real time.

It’s cheap. It humanizes your nonprofit. And the reach is bigger than you think.

So when Angela Crist gushed about how well Facebook Live worked for her for Hope House Giving Tuesday fundraising campaign, I reached out to learn more.

NOTE: Angela Crist recently stepped down as Chief Executive Officer for Hope House.

Tell me about a Facebook tactic that worked for you in 2017. One that you’ll definitely use again.

With Giving Tuesday and year-end season coming up, we knew we needed a strategy to get through the Facebook newsfeed algorithm.

So on Giving Tuesday, we tried 4 Facebook live video events in addition to other digital channels – email, Instagram and our website.

Last year, the first year we participated in Giving Tuesday, we raised $6,500. Our goal for 2017 was $8,000.

By 9:30am, we met that goal. By the end of day, we raised $15,000.

It was a big, wild success.

Take us through the videos.

First, we started with a morning kickoff video with our foundation partner, who provided our first match. The foundation had never visited us, and as you can see in the video they were pleasantly surprised about us after the tour.

Next we did a behind-the-scenes tour of our only empty room, which was’t going to be empty for long. We talked about the woman who was moving into that very room TODAY, and how viewers made that possible.

Then we sat down with a donor and a board member, both of whom are influential in our community. They talked about why they supported Hope House. Interestingly, this video got the lowest views on OUR page, but since these two gentlemen were well known, their video got shared a lot with people from their networks.

Last, I did one “setting in for the night” from my home, tying a bow on the whole day. It was a gratitude conversation, and I made sure to talk about the woman who just moved in that night. How’s she must be feeling at the moment.

I can tell you that in the 6 minutes this was live, we had $2k come in online.

What kind of resources did you need to pull it off?

We planned the whole campaign about one month in advance. We didn’t spend much time planning each video, just about 15 minutes each.

The videos don’t cost anything!

We sent donors straight to our website for donations. We didn’t do any donation options on Facebook.

What would you say to a nonprofit looking to try this tactic?

Before this, I always thought that videos needed to be polished and edited. That’s out the window. I love that.

With Facebook Live, you can be authentic. Like I’m talking directly to a person. It fits how we want to be.

And it broke through the algorithm.

Try it!

Here Are Some Quick Tips

• Try a small-scale Facebook live first, so you can test your tech and work out the kinks.
• You don’t need to follow a strict script, but don’t wing it, either. Have some talking points and a purpose for the video.
• Promote your videos in multiple channels.
• Note highlights or create a highlight reel for the press and donor communications.
• Don’t forget to ASK for something – sign up, help, follow, let us know what you think.

Keep Reading

Facebook’s Latest News Feed Changes: What Nonprofits Can Do
https://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog/2018/01/16/facebooks-latest-news-feed-changes-nonprofits-can/

Facebook Live-A-Thon for @ASPCA Raises over $50,000 on Giving Tuesday
https://www.bethkanter.org/givingtuesday-facebook-live/

35 Facebook Live Ideas to Show the Impact of Your Nonprofit https://www.johnhaydon.com/facebook-live-ideas-show-impact-nonprofit/

How to Use Facebook Live to Raise Money
https://npengage.com/nonprofit-fundraising/facebook-live-to-raise-money/

Your Facebook Group May Soon Be Able to Host A Watch Party
https://www.adweek.com/digital/facebook-watch-party/

How to Use Facebook Live: The Ultimate Guide https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/facebook-live-guide

Do you have a Facebook Live story or tip to share? Tell us more in the comments.

The post How a Homeless Shelter Used Facebook Live Video to DOUBLE Results on Giving Tuesday appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).

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I’m not alone:

Twitter users herald new character limits with 280-character howls of despair 

We all have 280 characters? Well, as Shakespeare wrote, “Brevity is the soul of wit. The soul of wit is what brevity is. Brevity? Soul of wit? They’re the same thing. Like if you had brevity in one hand and the soul of wit in the other, you’d be hard pressed to tell them apart.”

— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) November 8, 2017

I will NEVER use 280 characters nor will I favorite or retweet a tweet with them. THIS IS MY FIGHT SONG

— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) November 8, 2017

I mean, for Pete’s sake, people have made an art and science out of the 140-character Tweet. Aren’t limits sometimes a good thing (think daily recommended sugar intake). Sometimes more isn’t better, it’s just too much!

And who’s asking for this? Doesn’t Twitter have bigger worries with rampant abuse, harassment and Russian bots?

Twitter says hold on a minute. They need to make their product easier to use. Character constraints impact users differently, depending on language. The 140-character limit was based on old text-messaging technology, before smartphones grew out of our palms.

For what it’s worth, Twitter claims that when it tested the larger limit, only 5% of Tweets sent were longer than 140 characters and only 2% were over 190 characters. So, theoretically, your reading experience shouldn’t change that much.

Accompanying the new higher limit is a new circle graphic that shows you, graphically, how much space you’re taking up as you type your tweet.

A few nonprofits have already embraced the new limit:

We now have 280 characters and 37 days to encourage @chase to halt the funding of #KXL how many characters can you spare to let them know it’s time to #DefundTarSands? https://t.co/QbXei4VY45

— RAN (@RAN) November 8, 2017

At least there’s now space for endless animal emojis… ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????#280characters

— Chester Zoo (@chesterzoo) November 8, 2017

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— ICP (@ICPhotog) November 8, 2017

Ya’ll should have the new length by now. Have you tried it? What do you think?

Weigh in the comments. And show us your Tweets!

The post WEIGH IN, NONPROFITS: Do You LOVE or HATE Twitter’s New 280 Character Count? appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).

If not, here are Ideas, Events and Additional Resources (like Social Media Toolkit and Press Release Template) to get you started.

I’ve been working on Giving Tuesday campaigns for several of my clients, and I found myself diving into my email inbox again and again for inspiration. (READ: 7 Tips for Building an Incredibly Useful Email Swipe File.)

I’ve compiled other helpful copywriting lists that I still use to this day (GREETINGS: 39 Ideas to Help You Rock Your Nonprofit Email Welcome Series, DON’T MISS THIS: 70 Email Subject Line Ideas for Fundraising, Advocacy and Event Deadlines, YOU HAD ME AT HELLO: 54 Ideas for Strong Leads And Smooth Transitions in Your Appeals and Action Alerts, MAKE ME A MATCH: 48 Ways to Ask for a Matching Gift in an Email Fundraising Appeal), so I thought, why not Giving Tuesday!

First, some observations gathered from this research:

• Some orgs are starting Giving Tuesday early, inviting top supporters to “be the first to give” or offering them a special perk like discounted membership or a premium. I use this with my own clients and it has worked well.
• Fundraising double and triple matches are very common.
• Thank you and report back emails are not common (HINT: change that)
• Some orgs extended the day by extending a fundraising match to the day after Giving Tuesday (less noise and email volume)
• Hashtags are not necessary in email subject lines (save them for social media)
• Chesapeake Bay Foundation wins for best challenge (Subject line: Do this one thing, and I’ll jump in the Bay tomorrow)

Here are 126 email subject line ideas to fuel your copywriting and campaign creativity.

Subject Lines

1. #GivingTuesday challenge
2. #GivingTuesday Fail?
3. #GivingTuesday is the new Black (Friday)
4. 5 Reasons to #GiveToReefs on #GivingTuesday
5. 7 Ideas for #GivingTuesday
6. A Progressive #GivingTuesday Message
7. A special day is coming
8. A special Giving Tuesday challenge for Kerri
9. Are you ready, Kerri?
10. Be the first to give Trees for Wildlife
11. Celebrate Giving Tuesday by giving back!
12. Do this one thing, and I’ll jump in the Bay tomorrow
13. Don’t Let the Night Slip Away
14. Fight hate with Love + Power on #GivingTuesday
15. FINAL HOURS: #GivingTuesday ends soon!
16. Get a Head Start on Giving Tuesday!
17. Get in early! Pass the Hope for Giving Tuesday
18. Give Back on #GivingTuesday
19. Give Back to Nature on #GivingTuesday
20. Give back to your river on #GivingTuesday
21. Give food. Give love. #GivingTuesday.
22. Give Trees for Wildlife—Giving Tuesday!
23. Giving Tuesday – Celebrate and support our farmers and community
24. Giving Tuesday is Here!
25. Hi
26. Hours left
27. How to do good that lasts longer
28. It’s #GivingTuesday. Today’s the day to change lives.
29. It’s all on the line.
30. It’s Giving Tuesday, Kerri. Be a Hero.
31. Just following up
32. Kerri, hate can’t win: 2-to-1 match until midnight
33. Make every last drop count on #GivingTuesday
34. Making our work possible
35. Maximize your impact
36. Moms don’t give up. EVER.
37. More urgent than ever
38. My Giving Tuesday challenge to you
39. Net Neutrality is on the chopping block
40. NOM Needs Your Support this “Giving Tuesday”
41. On this #GivingTuesday, join us in giving back to the ocean
42. Our work just got more necessary
43. Pledge to #GiveTime this #GivingTuesday
44. RE: No time to waste. Stopping Trump’s climate agenda starts now.
45. Reminder: Give on #GivingTuesday
46. Rising to End Violence Against Women & Girls, Support the Movement on #GivingTuesday
47. Save the date for #GivingTuesday
48. Save the date! A movement is coming.
49. See Candice Bergen’s Giving Tuesday offer?
50. Show New York water some love on #GivingTuesday
51. Show Off Your #Unselfie
52. Special offer for you: Today only!
53. Stand up to Trump on #GivingTuesday
54. Stand up to Trump on #GivingTuesday
55. swimming in November
56. Thank you
57. The most meaningful gift you can give
58. There’s still time to help – #GivingTuesday
59. This Giving Tuesday: Take on Trump!
60. This is just the beginning
61. Today is #GivingTuesday – Please #GiveToReefs
62. Today is the day: Help cure Parkinson’s
63. TODAY: 24 Hours of MomsRising. Join the fun!
64. Today’s the day.
65. Tomorrow is #GivingTuesday!
66. Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday – What’s in it for you?
67. Tomorrow’s #GivingTuesday. Fine a place in your heart to give.
68. Trump vs Giving Tuesday
69. UPDATE: We’re So Close to Our Goal!
70. Watch LIVE: Movie Stars, Science and a Game of Hoops
71. We still need you. With your help, we can do more.
72. What’s better than one oyster? Read this email to find out.
73. When Trump threatens MoveOn
74. World AIDS Day AND Giving Tuesday!
75. Your #GivingTuesday gift

Match Subject Lines

76. [MATCH] Hours left to double your gift, Kerri
77. #GivingTuesday starts early for the SPLC. Triple your support today!
78. #GivingTuesday TRIPLE MATCH is almost over
79. 4x the fight for wildlife on Giving Tuesday
80. DEADLINE: #GivingTuesday gifts doubled!
81. DOUBLE animals ? ?Giving Tuesday ??
82. Double HOPE this #GivingTuesday!
83. Double your gift on #GivingTuesday
84. Double your impact for #GivingTuesday
85. Double Your Impact for Generations this Giving Tuesday
86. Double your impact on #GivingTuesday
87. FINAL HOURS: Giving Tuesday match
88. Giving Tuesday Match
89. Giving Tuesday matching opportunity – there’s still time!
90. Giving Tuesday: 2-to-1 match challenge
91. Giving Tuesday: All donations MATCHED
92. Giving Tuesday: Last day to have your gift matched
93. HOURS LEFT: Double your power for women and families
94. Hours Left: Help Meet Our #GivingTuesday Match Goal
95. Just hours left to match your gift
96. Kerri, say no to hate: 2-to-1 match until midnight
97. MATCH this Trump (Double your Donation)
98. MATCH: Three reasons to give to Heifer right now, Kerri
99. Match! Make Bigger Change This Giving Tuesday
100. MATCHING GOAL: $50,000 by midnight
101. Midnight deadline: #GivingTuesday TRIPLE match!
102. Only Hours Left: Give Trees for Wildlife—Giving Tuesday!
103. Rise with us. Double your power for moms and families.
104. SECOND MATCH: So much HOPE today!
105. This #GivingTuesday your gift doubles!
106. Today only: 1 way to give, 2x the money, 4 ways to stop Trump
107. TODAY ONLY: Gifts Doubled!
108. TODAY ONLY: Your donation goes 3x as far
109. Today only: Your donation will be tripled
110. Today only: Your gift doubled
111. Today Only: Your gift to the Earth, matched $3-for-$1
112. Today’s the day! Your gift will be TRIPLED!!!
113. Tonight Your Gift Makes Double the Impact
114. TRIPLE MATCH: Fight back this #GivingTuesday
115. URGENT response needed: All gifts DOUBLED!
116. Your Giving Tuesday gift will be matched!

Match Extension Subject Lines

117. 24 more hours to stand up to Trump!
118. Friends, we still need you!
119. Good news: match EXTENDED
120. MATCH EXTENSION: Your gift tripled
121. Today Only – Giving Tuesday match EXTENDED

Thank You Subject Lines

122. A tasty thank you for #GivingTuesday
123. Giving Tuesday success – thanks to you!
124. it happened
125. Thank you
126. YOU made it happen!

Got  a favorite? Or a pearl of wisdom to share with readers? Leave a comment.

The post 126 Email Subject Line Ideas for Your #GivingTuesday Campaigns appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).

JustLeadershipUSA is dedicated to cutting the U.S. correctional population in half by 2030, and its leader Glenn speaks from personal experience. He spent six years incarcerated in a New York State prison in the early 1990s. Today he uses his voice to influence justice policy and lift up the voices of those most impacted. He’s been recognized with honors such at the 2016 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award and the 2014 Echoing Green Black Male Achievement Fellowship.

Like many Twitter users, Glenn launched a Twitter account early but didn’t immediately see the power of the platform. He caught on, and has Tweeted his way to some extraordinary real-word accomplishments.

@glennEmartin joined Twitter in April 2009
@JustLeadersUSA joined Twitter in August 2013
@CLOSErikers joined Twitter in June 2015

When did you really begin using Twitter as a tool for your advocacy?

@glennEmartin congratulations! Huge deal indeed. Remarkable effort by a remarkable leader and a powerful network of supporters. https://t.co/A6zJGOAaV6

— Cheryl Roberts (@CherylARoberts) April 1, 2017

I tried to get on Twitter years ago and created an account. My account laid dormant for a while until I had a conversation with the former governor of New Jersey, Jim McGreevey. He said to me, “Glenn, people look to you as a leader. You should own it.”

That became a moment for leadership, and for me to be thoughtful about what I put out in the world. I started building my brand, and that ran into creating JustLeadershipUSA.

People like following people on Twitter. You have character, perspective. But you have to be ready to engage and respond to feedback. You need a reason for doing it.

How much time do you spend on Twitter per week?

I am on Twitter for 20 minutes here and there, about 10 times a day, so that’s about 3-4 hours a day.

Why do you use Twitter?

I wanted to brand myself. Using Twitter matches my values — fighting for change. Twitter gives me a chance to make my message clear.

Can you describe your tweeting style/approach?

Source: Twitonomy

Source: Twitonomy

People look to my account to get news on criminal justice reform. I also get my news on Twitter – what others are saying about criminal justice, and listening to opinion leaders.

I mostly use it to sway decision makers and educate the public. If you know who your audience is, you can reach out to influencers to help target them. We’ve worked with influencers such as Russell Simmons and Kerry Kennedy to turn out their base in support of our cause.

Do you have a Twitter success story to share related to your nonprofit/cause?

This announcement is a huge deal. Thank you to all the @closerikers staff and supporters. We won’t stop till #TortureIsland is shut down! pic.twitter.com/NaJ91BXyor

— Glenn E. Martin (@glennEmartin) March 31, 2017

The CloseRikers campaign was a Twitter success. We got New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio to publicly say yes to closing the prison. It was phenomenal.

Mayor De Blasio cares about his reputation as a progressive. We used that to get his attention and put the pressure on to close the prison.

We logged 25,000 tweets directly at the mayor –100,000,000 impressions on one day. The mayor’s office told us they couldn’t figure out how to neutralize us. They saw all the moments we created on social media.

We got other progressive orgs to jump in, and other progressive leaders to get their bases to tweet. And we got 1,000 people to march across Queens – we used Twitter to mobilize people in real life.

We have a campaign funder that gave us a goal of accomplishing this in 3 years. We got it done in 12 months. It’s a campaign of 165 organizations, and they all have their bases. Our celebrity support has helped add boldness to this campaign.

What advice would you offer to leaders of small to medium-sized nonprofit CEO’s who want to tweet like a boss?

Join me tonight as I discuss the SLAVE CATCHER history of #RIKERS ISLAND at @SPCBCBKNY Commemoration of The #MAAFA https://t.co/pKk1UfKiRr pic.twitter.com/qKVE9bhSPn

— Glenn E. Martin (@glennEmartin) September 19, 2017

Twitter is a little like fishing. There are moments that don’t have traction and you’re not capturing the fish. It’s worth it for the moment when you put something out in the universe, and someone bites.

You need patience with Twitter, because every once in awhile, it creates a moment.

Also, always been on brand. Be disciplined. I see so many tweets that are political in nature and entertaining, but if you want people to follow you on Twitter, you have to be consistent about what you are and who you are. Why would someone visit you?

Become the champion of a particular thing.

If you run an org, and you have a social media intern, that’s great. But I think that leaders, especially the type that people look up to, must make time to interject their opinion. The truth is, people want your opinion.

Are you interested in boosting your Twitter game? Check out these helpful posts and resources:

• 6 Advanced Twitter Features for Nonprofits
• SHOW US YOUR LISTS: 8 Ideas for Nonprofit Twitter Lists
• Hashtags for Every Day of the Week (Nonprofit Edition)
• How CEOs Can Leverage Twitter (Sloan Management Review)
• How to Use Your CEO’s Twitter Account to Build Brand Loyalty (Convince & Convert)

The post How @GlennEMartin of JustLeadershipUSA Tweets Like a Boss appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).

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The back-and-forth is enough to suck your soul dry.

Thankfully, there are apps to improve the process. I’ve used a few of these myself, and recently asked fellow nonprofit professionals which apps they use to book appointments, office hours and team meetings.

This is their short list.

Here are some questions and features to consider as you evaluate which app might make life easier for you:

• Does it require users to sign up or sign in?
• Does it work across a range of popular calendar apps or just one?
• Does it allow contacts to book directly on your calendar or request a booking time?
• Does it send reminders?
• Will it allow you to show “office hours”?
• Does it have a polling or voting feature to help determine best time for groups?
• Can you get your own customized booking URL to offer contacts?
• Does the app allow you to create custom questions that people can use to sign up to meet with you?
• Is there a mobile app?
• Is there a browser extension?

Doodle
Create a poll with meeting times. Invite people to vote. Choose the best group meeting time.

Calend.ly
Schedule one-on-ones, groups, share availability, team scheduling.

You can book me
Share your availability and let contacts book straight into your calendar.

AcuityScheduling
Self-book appointments, pay online and reschedule with a click.

Freebusy.io
Coordinate team meetings right from Google Calendar.

Timebridge
Automated scheduling for Outlook and Google Calendars.

Use an app that’s not on this list? Make this post better – share your experiences with scheduling tools, for better or worse, in the comments section.

The post 6 Time-Saving Scheduling Tools Recommended by Fellow Nonprofits appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).

These are some of the insights offered in the Donation Trends by Channel: 2016 Donor Data Report by online fundraising platform Kimbia and nonprofit marketing agency Strength in Members.

The report uses data from 1.2 million donors who gave $240 million in online donations through the Kimbia platform in the year 2016. The agencies sought to answer two questions: What types of online fundraising campaigns or channels are people donating to? And what type of donor is giving to each of these types of campaigns or channels?

A few definitions:

Everyday Giving – donations made via your website for general funds, monthly giving and tribute gifts.

Peer-to-Peer – donations made to a personal fundraising page for a run, walk, ride or other event, or DIY campaign such as “donate your birthday.”

Giving Day – donations made to time-based online crowdfunding events.

Of peer pressure and strangers:

Source: Donation Trends by Channel: 2016 Donor Data Report

• With peer-to-peer campaigns, donors are friends of individuals who support your cause and they may not have a prior relationship with your organization.
• During Giving Days, incentives and matches help drive the donation amount up. People love that their gifts help their favorite cause earn prizes and stretch funds.
• While both P2P and Giving Days are social giving phenomenons, the time pressure provided by Giving Days might lead to the 59% largest gift size. 

Giving by mobile device is growing, but the majority of donations are still made via desktop:

Source: Donation Trends by Channel: 2016 Donor Data Report

See the full Donation Trends By Channel Report here.

The post CROWDFUNDING: Who’s Giving…To What and Where appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).

Joshua Clay

We Internet users have a voracious appetite for online video. Video is increasing in nearly every digital channel, from email to web pages to social networks.

Done right, it drives clicks and conversions better than text alone. Marketers across the spectrum are planning to increase their use of videos to educate, service, and sell.

Yet, for small nonprofits, producing a worthwhile online video can seem daunting and unattainable. It doesn’t have to be so difficult. Keep it short and sincere and shareable and you have a chance of using video to recruit and mobilize advocates, volunteers, and donors.

For this post, I wanted to explore a very specific use of video that delights me – the post-donation thank you video. A few years ago, a fellow nonprofit colleague highlighted one such video on Sen. Al Franken’s fundraising confirmation page. I loved it. It was unexpected and brought a huge smile to my face. Years later that video sticks with me. (NOTE: I wish I could find it…if you can, post it in the comments!)

A few days ago I put out a call for these videos. I received some post-donation videos and thank you videos used at other times. So, the scope of this post expanded to 4 Smart Ways to Use Thank You Videos in Nonprofit Fundraising.

Let’s begin.

ON THE DONATION CONFIRMATION PAGE

Face it – the donation confirmation page is typically a huge snoozer, with little more than a cursory “thank you for your donation” bit of text. Change that.

Consider this page an opportunity to retain that donor and secure your next gift. A simple, personal, short video thank you on this page can inspire donors to fall more deeply in love with you.

Here are two examples of confirmation page thank you videos:

Christian Friends of Israeli Communities 

From US Director Kimberly Troup:

When did you launch the video?
We launched it right before Thanksgiving 2015.

What resources did you dedicate to making this video possible, including planning, production, and tech?
One staff person who went to some of our projects and took the photographs of program recipients holding the thank you signs. We have a professional film company that we pay, who did the actual filming and the editing for us.

How much time did the initiative take, from thought to finish?
2-3 years. I had the initial thought at least 2 years (possibly 3) before I was able to convey the idea/concept to the higher ups who could get it done. Once we had the concept approved and started, it only took 2-3 weeks, for the pictures/filming/editing to be completed.

What advice would you offer other nonprofits that want to try this?
Do it! Video is a great way to share live from the field. Especially when your donors don’t have a lot of access to see what their donation is accomplishing.

Council of Protestant Churches of Nicaragua

From Development Director Emily Hewes:

When did you launch the video?
We initially launched the video after our End of Year campaign in 2015 and put it on our blog and I sent it to a few key supporters to thank them for their gifts. After that, we began using it as an opportunity to thank people after they give online gifts. So when someone makes a donation they are redirected to that page.

What resources did you dedicate to making this video possible, including planning, production, and tech?
I’m pretty sure that the person who made it used only a video camera on his cell phone, so super low tech!

How much time did the initiative take, from thought to finish?
I would say from start to finish this took probably no more than a few days.

Can you share results and/or feedback on the video?
We haven’t measured results from this video, mostly because it was just for thanking donors and was not part of a campaign where we were raising funds. When I did send it to a donor she said it brought tears to her eyes because it was meaningful to her. I think that, for me, is one of the best results we could have.

What advice would you offer other nonprofits that want to try this?
I would encourage other nonprofits to not be scared to use video as a tool to thank donors. It’s easy to think that you need lots of resources or tools to make a video, but this is a super simple video that allowed us to bridge a large distance between our donors and the organization (the org is based in Nicaragua and most of our donors are in the US). It really can be as simple as having staff say ‘thank-you!’

IN THE DONATION CONFIRMATION EMAIL

The donation confirmation email is another overlooked source for creative and sincere thanking. Your donors know it’s coming, but do they open it and LOVE it? Probably not. Here’s how you can change that.

Will Easton, Fundraising & Email Strategy Lead at Mozilla Foundation, sent me this brilliant confirmation email with a “Choose Your Own Thank You Adventure” with a Funny Thank You, Sincere Thank You and Cute Thank You.

Hey, even ONE thank you video like this would be a vast improvement for most confirmation emails.

AFTER A MAJOR GIFT

Social networks like Facebook and Instagram offer a splendid opportunity to thank major donors or sponsors publicly and creatively.

As a volunteer for my local Rhinebeck Soccer League, I invited the teams to give thanks to their respective sponsors, and many of them choose video as their medium. I posted these thanks to Facebook and tagged the coaches, sponsors and sponsor businesses. All of them were submitted by volunteers (with varying levels of video skills). These posts were consistently the most popular posts and help RSL secure more sponsors year after year.

Beware, cuteness ensuing.

CULTIVATE DONORS BEFORE A CAMPAIGN

Come Thanksgiving, my feed will light up with thank you videos from nonprofits, warming donors up for big year-end asks. You want these videos to thank all kinds of supporters for all kinds of support, like this:

You can use this kind of video beyond December. Fellow do-gooder John Haydon fondly remembers this Charity:Water video from 2011:

While the production quality and scale may be beyond the reach of most small nonprofits, there are a lot of small lessons in this:

• It’s a thank-a-thon. One day to shower donors with love.
• In the videos, staff members thanked people who fundraised for Charity:Water with joy, sincerity, and simplicity (a white wall and a few props).
• This “birthday” celebration wasn’t about the nonprofit. It wasn’t, “Yay US.” This was “Yay YOU” for bringing clean water to two million people.

EXPLORE MORE

• Search “Donor Thank You” on YouTube 
• YouTube Nonprofit Program
• Creating Great Videos to say “Thank You”
• 4 Inspiring Nonprofit Year-End Thank You Videos
• This animal rescue non-profit raised $21,000 with Facebook’s Peer-to-Peer fundraising and video
• A Facebook video ad drove $3,200 in donations for this non-profit
• Should Nonprofit Use Video for Internal Communications?
• Nonprofit Thank You Videos – Binge Watch Here!

Got a thank you video YOU love, any flavor? Share a link in the comments.

The post 4 Smart Ways to Use Thank You Videos in Nonprofit Fundraising appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).