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How do I market my nonprofits mission with heart not hype? Increase donations without increasing my marketing budget? Regularly attract and retain new donors? These are just some of the big questions that Nonprofit Marketing expert Cindy May from CindyMayMarketing.com answers on the enlightening Smart Marketing for Small Nonprofits podcast. Providing marketing tips, tools, resources and ideas that will help you generate greater awareness and fundraising support for your cause, each episode i ...
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Keeping your email subscribers engaged is always a challenge for nonprofits. Your supporters are dealing with inboxes that are not only full; they’re bursting. It’s estimated that over time, you’ll lose 1-in-4 subscribers to churn. These aren’t people who unsubscribe; they just ignore your emails. Before cutting them loose and eliminating them from…
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Email campaigns continue to be one of the most cost effective methods of getting support for your nonprofit. In fact, on average they show a return on investment of $42, far outstripping social media and direct mail. In this podcast, we talk about what makes email marketing campaigns so successful, how to leverage them for all your content needs an…
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One of the reasons I’ve always highlighted what I call "Women on a Mission" is to inspire you with the stories of nonprofit leaders who are tackling the big issues fearlessly. Today I want to update you about the work of Debbie DiCarlo, who is not only working to make sure that no-one has to face cancer alone, she's also working hard to make sure t…
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Nonprofits spend a lot of time thinking about how to attract new supporters. Worried about donor churn or dwindling ranks or volunteers, they are on the lookout for new people who share their passion and are willing to commit their time, talent and treasure for a cause. One of the best methods to pave the way for these new supporters is to first ge…
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Is time your enemy or your asset? It’s all about how you choose to use it. Today’s episode asks a hard question: Are you spending your time wisely? Listen to suggestions on how to re-evaluate what you spend your time on, the duties you might want to delegate to others, and strategies to use so that you are managing your day (instead of having your …
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When there’s an opportunity to make our nonprofit emails more exciting, more likely to be opened and more clickable, we should take full advantage of it. And the thing that is accomplishing all of the above (and making our emails messages way more memorable) is video. It’s what people want and they’ll reward you when you include a video link in you…
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Every year we hear that email for nonprofits is dead. Old fashioned, not working, can’t do the job. And then every year we get the numbers and - surprise! - email is still one of the best ways to connect with your audiences. That doesn’t mean that email is easy - changes to spam algorithms, operating systems and more can be a challenge. In this pod…
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Data can be dull. That’s why I counsel my nonprofit clients to steer clear of numbers when discussing their mission; stories of impact are just so much more engaging. But one set of numbers nonprofits should be concerned with is their marketing numbers. From the reach of your Facebook posts to the number of people who clicked on the call to action …
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Here’s a resolution for 2022 that you can start working on now. Identify the fellow nonprofits and corporations that would be good allies for your nonprofit and start building those partnerships. Too many of the problems that nonprofits are trying to solve are too complex to rest on one organization’s shoulders. Partnerships can help broaden your r…
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If you are looking to connect with a younger audience, there’s no better place to go than Instagram. More than 60% of Instagram’s 1.3 billion users are between the ages of 18 and 34 and if you are looking to be discovered on the app, there’s no better tool than Instagram reels. But what do you need to do to make these “micro-content” videos? Podcas…
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Want to get recharged and renew your excitement about how you market your mission? This episode is about how to address those times when marketing feels more like a grind. Do you need to change up your message? Or do you need to create some processes that will make marketing easier? Learn how to get your marketing mojo back in this podcast.…
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This is a busy time of year for nonprofits, but don’t let a big to-do list from now to the end of the year prevent you from doing a little planning - and a little dreaming. Before ringing in the New Year, give yourself a chance to imagine what 2022 could be for your organization. What new things are on the horizon? What changes do you want to imple…
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Nonprofits are eager to share the stories of the people, groups and causes they help and it’s easy to understand why - these are some of the most compelling ways to illustrate their impact. But those aren’t the only stories you should tell. Sharing your organization’s story is also important to building feelings of trust that engender support for y…
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There’s a lot of strong, negative feelings about marketing for nonprofits out there. It ranges from thinking of it as a “necessary evil” to viewing all marketing as, for lack of a better word, “icky” - sleazy, inauthentic or chock-full of hype. But marketing isn't a dirty word. It’s not a punishment. It’s just a tool and - when you embrace the best…
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#GivingTuesday is now the biggest day in philanthropy. Last year it broke records with $2.47 billion donated (in US alone!) and 35 million people taking part. But its sheer size sometimes makes small and medium-size nonprofits wonder if #GivingTuesday is worth the work. How can you be heard if you aren’t a huge organization? This episode explores t…
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Often, nonprofit leaders play down the importance of marketing to a nonprofit’s success. Relying on the myth that every dime should go strictly to program costs, they ignore the role that an effective marketing and communications strategy have in making sure nonprofit’s get the support they need and reach the clients they want to serve. In this epi…
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Are you ever tempted to skip posting or emailing on a day that is fraught with significance? Maybe it’s a holiday or the anniversary of a tragic event or something that would drag you into a current controversy. There certainly is a temptation to skip marketing on certain difficult days, but if you’re too cautious, you might rob your nonprofit of a…
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No one doubts that sharing clients stories is a powerful way to illustrate the good work your nonprofit does. So why do some organizations avoid it? One big reason is concerns that capturing those stories and writing them is a long, involved process. It doesn’t have to be.
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Each nonprofit has at least three distinct ways in which they communicate with the public. Each type of communication deepens your relationship with the outside world, and all of them are essential to your organization. Which is why you need to be transparent and consistent in each and every level. This episode covers each of these levels of commun…
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Just like a little black dress or flattering jeans, the power of great content is that - with some tweaks - it can be repurposed for all occasions and platforms. In this bonus podcast, Cindy discusses the power of leveraging quality content and why it’s not only smart marketing but also an excellent use of your nonprofit’s resources.…
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Engagement is the marketing version of the Holy Grail for nonprofits. It’s goal: to get people to notice you, interact with you and, ultimately, support you. But with more than 1.5 million nonprofits in the U.S. alone, there’s a lot of competition out there. How can you stand out from the crowd? In this episode, I cover tips that can make your cont…
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Even if they have no problem hiring certain types of outside experts, many nonprofits resist getting help with their marketing efforts. But having some help with communications can result in nonprofits getting more support so they can thrive. Cindy goes over the most common reason nonprofit leaders say “no” to marketing help and the many reasons th…
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Events manager Danielle Snelson says that 2020 gave nonprofits permission to hold their events virtually. The question is, now that the pandemic is receding and in-person gatherings are more common, should we keep it virtual in 2021? The answer will depend on what your organization's goals are. In this podcast, Cindy and Danielle talk about when vi…
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2020 was a bear of a year, but here’s the silver lining: Confronted by fear, uncertainty, loss and lockdowns, we didn’t hide in a bunker until it was all over. We found new ways to connect and gave what we could to support others, and did it in record numbers. Cindy takes a deep dive into the 2020 M+R Benchmark report.…
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Kathy Widenhouse, a highly experienced nonprofit content writer, talks with Cindy about how to master the art of persuasive communication, whether it’s a fundraising appeal, e-newsletter or blog post. The tips and tactics she shares will make your own writing process easier and far more effective.
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If a picture is worth 1,000 words, how much is a video - even a short one - worth? 10,000 words? 100,000? A million? Video is the ultimate storytelling device, says Burr Purnell, this month’s Marketer on a Mission and using it gives nonprofits an easy, fast, and affordable way to amplify their message to the world.…
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When you think about retaining donors, trade in ROI for ROR or “return on relationship.” That’s the advice of Cindy’s guest, Jarrett Ransom of The Rayvan Group. An expert on nonprofit marketing and a self-described “Nonprofit Nerd,” Jarrett shares the five building blocks of donor relationships in this special Marketer on a Mission podcast.…
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Many things have changed in the last year, but not the importance of marketing to support donor retention efforts. In this episode, Cindy explores the statistics to keep in mind as you develop your retention strategy and a four-step process to make sure first-time donors continue to support your organization after their initial gift.…
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Ever worry about getting stuck in a rut in your marketing efforts? It’s a new year, which makes it a great time to experiment and try some new digital strategies for promoting your nonprofit. This episode has suggestions on ways you might want to stretch those marketing muscles, but it also includes the one thing that is tried and true no matter wh…
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As we begin our journey into 2021, have you thought about what success for your nonprofit would look like this year? We are in the middle of the Great Reset, which makes it the perfect time to create your marketing plan. It doesn’t have to be a beast; in fact it can be both an inspirational and useful document, a roadmap to a successful year for yo…
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We all know that 2020 was rough and that despite awesome news about vaccines this month, it’s going to take a lot of work to get back on track in 2021. But that shouldn’t sap you of the optimism that a new year typically brings. In today’s episode, we explore why (realistic) optimism is essential for the strategic marketing of your nonprofit and ho…
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Your nonprofit’s marketing budget is important; it’s the connective tissue between your organization and the many audiences you are trying to reach: clients, donors, volunteers and the public at large. But the reality is that after the double whammy of COVID-19 and the resulting economic downturn, the money just might not be there in 2021. This epi…
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If you could take your nonprofit back to our pre-COVID “normal” world, would you? Or did you discover things about yourself and your organization in 2020 that you want to shape your nonprofit’s future. In this episode, Cindy reviews the top marketing lessons nonprofits learned in 2020 and how they can be used to improve marketing in 2021 and beyond…
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Today we talk with Anne Stefanyk of Kanopi Studios, a website designer and developer. Anne shares her top 10 tips on how to maintain your website so you maximize its ability to raise awareness of your nonprofit, win support for your cause and turn your audiences’ intentions into action.
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Yes it’s an international event and yes, there’s only three weeks left, but with a little time and effort, there’s still time to have an effective #GivingTuesday campaign. It doesn’t have to be a stand-alone event; instead, why not make #GivingTuesday the launch of your whole end-of-year campaign.
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In spite of the chaos and confusion caused by 2020, this year has provided you with a unique opportunity as you are making your end-of-year ask. It’s a chance to share the challenges of running a nonprofit during a year marked by a pandemic and unrest with your supporters, and then boldly ask your supporters to share your optimism for the future.…
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Amazon knows how to make it personal for consumers. So does Netflix and Patagonia. How can nonprofits bridge the gap with their donors just like for-profit businesses? In our latest “Marketer on a Mission” interview, Gabe Cooper of Virtuous Software explains the power of CRM programs and how they streamline communications for small nonprofits while…
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