Episode 25: How to Use Data to Increase Your Nonprofit’s ROI, with Alexandra Mannerings

How can nonprofits fundraise during a crisis without sounding opportunistic or worse, tone-deaf? Whether it’s disease, war or natural disaster, there always seems to be an emergency in the headlines. One thing is clear: in times of crisis, people become more empathetic and generous—and not just to causes directly related to the emergency. Data from the pandemic now shows that people gave to a wide diversity of nonprofit organizations. So why were some nonprofits able to expand while others felt sidelined and had to consolidate? A more nuanced look at the data delivered across the board revealed that those that did the best during the pandemic did two things: They asked for donations often, and they contextualized their appeals. Steven Shattuck, the Chief Engagement Officer at Bloomerang, looks at the data they and others collected and shares the takeaways that nonprofits can apply to their development strategy. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep53 ** What we discussed: • Why directly addressing a crisis can help you raise money • How to avoid the trap of a scarcity mindset • What is necessary for a humanistic appeal to supporters • Blending old and new technologies to build strong connections

The word “community” is frequently thrown around in nonprofit communications. But what does it actually mean, and what does it take to form a true community that provides value and drives increased repeat giving? At a time when nonprofits struggle with donor retention, efforts to tap into identity, increase value to donors, make them feel more invested, and retain them year after year, have to be a top priority for every nonprofit development, marketing and communications professional. Louis Diez, Director of the Annual Fund at Muhlenberg College believes describes his superpower as building communities of purpose that energize donors and raise donor participation and major gifts—and he has the numbers to prove it. Louis joins The Nonprofit Hero Factory to share how he builds communities that deliver ROI both to donors and to the organization, and how other nonprofits can do the same. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep52 ** What we’ll be discussing: • Why communities are critical to nonprofit organizations • Four factors that define community • How building communities of purpose energizes donors and raises donor participation and major gifts • How to create a community where people are so involved that it becomes a part of their identity • The best way to get donations without asking for them directly

There’s a new individual giving report, and the good news is that household charitable giving is on the rise. The bad news is that over 80% of new donors don’t give to the same nonprofit again the following year. The biggest difference maker? Treating donors as individuals, understanding their motivations, and reinforcing how your work connects to their personal identity. In other words: personalized, story-based communication. Today, for example, people are generously donating in support of Ukraine, which is on our minds because of the invasion, violence and humanitarian crisis we are witnessing. For Boris, the crisis in Ukraine goes much deeper than what we are seeing on TV, but how likely are most people to continue giving when another crisis dominates headlines? Are we just locked in a cycle of emergency response giving? Tim Sarrantonio, the Director of Corporate Brand at Neon One, an integrated network of products and support for nonprofits, knows that finding accurate data and making connections between data and the broader story is the key to successful nonprofit fundraising. Neon One’s data report, Donors: Understanding the Future of Individual Giving, was released on March 8. He’s here to talk about what they discovered. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep51 ** What we’ll be discussing: • Where to find strong, relevant and timely data about individual giving behavior • What objective data says about what’s actually happening now • How data and storytelling come together to improve donor retention

Whether you participated this year or not, the reach and impact of GivingTuesday is undeniable. Nonprofits in the U.S. alone raised $2.7 billion in 24 hours. Millions of people around the world gave money, time and voice to the causes they care about. But it’s not as simple as saying it’s GivingTuesday and asking for money. We invited Kathleen Murphy-Toms, GivingTuesday’s Director of Digital Strategy, back on the show to talk about what works, what doesn’t, what to do now, and what’s next for the movement after 10 years. Not surprisingly, we had a lot to talk about… ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep50 ** What we discussed: • The growth of GivingTuesday and what’s next • How nonprofits can use GivingTuesday as a springboard • Why the scarcity mindset is counterproductive • Cause coalitions to raise the tide (and more donations) for all • Creating and harnessing urgency • Preparing for a great GivingTuesday 2022

“If you approach the wrong donor the wrong way, then you will leave money on the table and you'll lose them at hello." All your donors are not alike. They may all have one thing in common: they want to support your work. But their motivations and interests may vary widely. Understanding why they support you and how they prefer to do so can make the difference between greater support and alienation. Unlike actors, they’re not going to ask you “what’s my motivation?” Instead, that’s a question that you should be asking them. Sybil Ackerman-Munson of Do Your Good has helped funders give away over $45 million to nonprofits whose work aligns with their own ethos. In the process, she identified three donor archetypes, based on their motivations. Sybil joins the show to explain how nonprofits can better understand and communicate with each type of donor to create better, more beneficial relationships for both sides. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep49 ** What we’ll be discussing: • The importance of positive messaging even in dire times • Three three categories that every donor falls into, and what that means for your fundraising • How to determine what type of donor each person is • The problem with the competitive scarcity mindset • Opportunities and fundraising advantages of collaboration

Most every organization keeps records of their donors—whether it’s in advanced CRMs or simple spreadsheets. But there’s a wide gap between keeping records and maximizing donor data to build strong relationships that raise more money. Regina Alhassan of ResearchPRO joins us to share her strategies for collecting valuable data, tracking it over time and allocating your resources and your requests accordingly. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep48 ** What we’ll be discussing: • The types of data nonprofits aren’t tracking well • Using data to build relationships • Maintaining data integrity in your database • Screening donors to match your ask to their capacity

Which is a better way to serve your nonprofit’s program participants: Experience and knowledge-based assumptions, or regular input from the participants themselves? The answer is, of course, combining both. After all, how do you know how to apply your knowledge if you’re not regularly asking your beneficiaries what they need and how it’s working? That’s where evaluation comes in, to collect the feedback and input from your constituents and provide insights (and stories) to how you’re doing and how you can serve them better. Allison Shurilla is the founder of AS Community Consulting. In this interview, she lays out how evaluations can help nonprofits by first clarifying what they want to achieve, then establishing the evaluative processes that they can use, and finally incorporating them into their regular processes. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep47 ** What we’ll be discussing: • The problem with how most nonprofits lead programs and devote resources today. • What evaluation means, how it works and how it helps optimize your hero creation systems • Ways that nonprofits can start incorporating evaluation into their practices and processes.

Getting media attention for your nonprofit’s work is a powerful way to reach new people, build your authority, and shape the narrative around your mission. It's not enough to put out a press release and hope it gets picked up by some new source. Today, nonprofits of all sizes need a media strategy built on relationships and the ability to provide value to both the reporter and their audience. For better and worse, news media itself has been undergoing rapid change over the last 20 years. With newsrooms shrinking, news cycles accelerating, and news sources multiplying, the competition for attention presents both a challenge and an opportunity for media-savvy nonprofits to step in and make their voices heard. Sean Kosofsky, founder and CEO of Mind The Gap Consulting has been working with nonprofits to develop their media strategy. He joins us this week to break down how any org can develop relationships with news media and to be part of the public conversation versus simply reacting to it. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep46 ** What we’ll be discussing: • How news media has changed and the opportunities it creates for nonprofits • What it takes to develop relationships with reporters • How to identify the outlets and reporters you want to work with • Ways to lead or add your voice to the conversation

Does it feel like your nonprofit running on a donor treadmill? You’re constantly expending your resources to attract new donors, hoping that you get them quicker than you lose the ones that you had before so that you can do more. It’s exhausting and often demoralizing… and it doesn’t have to be that way. Improved donor engagement and retention starts with a great welcome experience. Using a combination of personalization and automation, an email welcome sequence can start a conversation and build a relationship that provides value to both sides and lasts for years. Rachel Bearbower of Small Shop Strategies helps overwhelmed executive directors create simple, effective welcome sequences on autopilot. She joins us this week to share how they work, and the 5-email formula you can use to get started today. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep45 ** What we’ll be discussing: • How personalization and humanization helps make a genuine connection • The cost of acquiring a new donor vs. retaining them over time • What to put in your donor welcome series to keep them coming back and donating again

What website trends should nonprofits be conscious of in 2022? The last two years have dramatically changed the way that the world connects and does business. Everything possible went online in 2021, and with it, the noise level has made it harder and harder to capture attention, make a connection and inspire action. If nonprofit websites don’t keep up with visitors’ expectations, they’re likely to lose more potential heroes than they gain. In this episode, Boris looks at the 5 biggest trends from 2021 and 5 ways nonprofit websites must respond if they are to achieve their goals. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep44 **