We no longer live in times when direct mail advertising and word of mouth is enough to inform people about your organization. We’re in a digital era, meaning there are many other channels of communication that we need to master. According to websiterating.com, people are 4 times more likely to click ads on Google than on other advertising networks.

However, spending a lot of money on ads might not be feasible for your budget. Luckily, Google Ad Grants is a virtually free advertising program that can help your nonprofit acquire website users while furthering your organization’s impact. Unlike most grants, Google Ad Grants also has a very simple application process.

In today's global and digital world, digital marketing isn't an option for nonprofits–it's a necessity for success! People rely on phones, laptops, and other devices for everything from work and shopping to social gatherings.

As a nonprofit fundraiser, it's critical to ensure you're reaching your supporters in the spaces they use most frequently–both digitally and in real life.

It’s no secret that nonprofit fundraising has a lot of moving parts. Typically your organization will start by setting goals for a specific campaign or fundraising event and then spend months planning out your strategy. Once you have a solid plan in place, you’re finally ready to spread the word about your campaign.

That’s where marketing comes in. After all, half the battle for successful fundraising is promoting the campaign to your support base and letting them know about new opportunities to give.

Despite all the changes and the rapid rise of social media over the years, nonprofit newsletters remain one of the best ways to stay in touch with your donors. While the purpose of nonprofit newsletters hasn’t really changed over the years, delivery methods and best practices have evolved. Most nonprofits now rely primarily on e-newsletters to interact with their donors regularly.

Email still dominates as a reliable form of communication across all age categories, and it’s actually a tremendous complementary strategy to your social media presence. In short, even if you still send a print newsletter, it’s essential to have a solid nonprofit email newsletter.

It’s the digital age, and practically everyone has a smartphone now. Mobile giving is definitely here to stay. If you want to remain competitive and relevant, it’s time to expand your fundraising strategies to include a wide range of mobile giving tactics, from peer-to-peer fundraising to mobile email and everything in between.

Have no fear! We’re here to help you understand why mobile giving is so important and explore some of the most popular mobile giving strategies and tools!

During 2020, many nonprofits were more focused on staying afloat rather than growing their services and fundraising opportunities. However, as we shift into 2021, we can take what we’ve learned in the last year and use it to our advantage, shifting back to the road of growth and development. Many are back to focusing on increasing impact rather than just maintaining services.

Growth takes hard work and careful planning to achieve. You’ll need to raise more money, make the right investments, and maintain efficient strategies to make it happen.

When most development professionals think of fundraising sources, they primarily list individual donors and grants. But there's another revenue source--corporate giving! Though it only adds up to a small fraction of fundraising efforts, receiving corporate gifts can also bring other benefits!

According to Giving USA and other sources, corporate giving is on the rise, motivated by a mix of altruism and a desire to attract employees that value working for socially responsible companies. Nonprofits can undoubtedly take advantage of this trend to increase funding and even create great partnerships.

So, you’re thinking about starting a nonprofit website optimization project?

Whether you’ve been falling behind on regular website maintenance or you’ve simply outgrown your original build, taking the time to upgrade your nonprofit site is critical. It’s especially imperative if you want to increase your online fundraising and improve donor engagements.

Specifically, a dedicated website optimization project can ensure that all online processes are working correctly, raise your site’s search engine ranking, improve the user experience, and better position your organization for future engagements.

Stories are a cornerstone of our everyday lives. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we love the stories of Olympic athletes’ journeys to athletic greatness or lose ourselves in the pages of a great book (fiction or nonfiction). Stories help us understand complex issues and can even deepen our connection with each other.

If we love getting swept up in stories, why do so many nonprofits leave them out of the biggest storytelling project of the year?! Telling the right stories can showcase your impact, empower your donors to celebrate your collective accomplishment, and equip them to share about your organization with others.

Putting storytelling at the core of your annual report can make it an irresistible read and assure your donors they made a strong investment.

Some people may say that business plans are a thing of the past--outdated, unnecessary, and a waste of time. Other nonprofits consider business plans something to create just for the sake of donors who demand it.

These opinions could not be further from the truth! Even for the modern nonprofit, a business plan can be an invaluable tool to help you maintain a strong purpose statement and clear messaging. Nonprofits who don't have a purpose statement often have a hard time getting loans, grants, or even corporate donors. Business plans can also help you attract quality board members.

Needless to say, business plans are definitely not a thing of the past and shouldn't be glossed over. Still, it can feel daunting or be challenging to know exactly how to write an effective nonprofit business plan. Have no fear! This blog will walk you through the basic steps to creating your own helpful business plan for your nonprofit.