Recently, I attended a webinar hosted by CCS Fundraising about campaigns and how to avoid the dreaded lull period. According to CCS, organizations typically see a 65% increase in fundraising during campaigns. However, the post-campaign period can fall into a lull, which can lead to a bit of a tough time to get through. Through this webinar, CCS identified 4 campaign models that could possibly help...

Recently, I attended a session about “Using Google Analytics & Google AdWords” hosted by the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network. While we have a basic knowledge of Google AdWords and Google Analytics, this presentation was helpful in reminding us how marketing online is changing everyday. Here are a few of my takeaways: 1. Google Dominates the Search Space It’s true. Google has become such...

Source: Clickbidonline.com I attended a great presentation on event planning offered by Women in Development of Greater Boston.  Here are some key takeaways from Brianna Boggs, Director of Development at GLAD and Kelly Lepley, Associate Director of the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.   Event Planning Tips on How To Be Inclusive Around Giving Opportunities...

A few weeks ago I gave a brief overview of the app Snapchat. And as promised, here is a follow-up post on Snapchat Geofilters. (Yes, they are a thing) What are “geofilters”? Geofilters are “stickers” or a “filter” you can use to show where your Snap was taken. I created one recently for a birthday party. Pretty snazzy! Yeah, this is all cool stuff, but I’m sure you’re asking...

I recently attended “Development in the Digital Age” hosted by Women in Development of Greater Boston.  Giving Tuesday, matching challenges and other blitz campaign ideas were batted around by fundraisers from small and large shops. Here are some takeaways and resources that may be helpful to check out: Blitz Campaign Strategy Robert Caldwell, Chief Advancement Officer, from the Holderness...

Why should I give again? A phrase that runs through a lot of donor's minds when asked to give again and again and again. What we're really asking is "What impact does my dollar have?" Key word: IMPACT! That's what we need to hear about. It's the results we want to see. But it's not easy to show results of donor impact. Collecting proper data is difficult and can run up a hefty price tag. Especially...

Usually we don't feature our client work in our blogs, but we really wanted to bring your attention to this video for Music & Memory, because it relates to something that we are all going to be touched by, if we aren't already, and that is aging family members (and our own aging too). The clip above is an excerpt from the final two minutes of the film, just to give you a taste. Music & Memory...

High impact philanthropy was the topic of discussion at a recent event hosted by the Boston Philanthropic Advisors Roundtable (BPART) featuring Christine Kendall from SmarterGive. Although the information was mainly geared towards an audience of philanthropic advisors and foundations, it has relevance for other individuals and nonprofits as well. Key Features of High Impact Philanthropy Christine...

    At a recent Women in Development of Greater Boston event, nonprofit fundraisers in education and health shared stories as well as some trends they are seeing in the philanthropic landscape.   Moderated by Michael McNally, Deputy Vice Dean for External Relations at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the panel included: Sarah Christensen, Senior Director of Development...

Tom Ahern was a recent guest speaker at Women in Development of Greater Boston, sharing tips on writing for digital donor communications. Here are three takeaways I thought were particularly interesting and useful: Using “we” is for public relations. Using “you” is for donor communications. You need to tell the donors that they are needed before they are primed to give. When communicating...