Hello, folks! I took a bit of a hiatus over the summer, so I expect to be back in full swing with this bi-weekly newsletter through the fall and winter, for your reading pleasure. Thanks for continuing to read, and welcome to the newer readers!
So, let's get into it: there's a lot to showing donors your best face, right? One serious component includes your website. I have often had people say "I went to your website and I was really impressed, and I'd like to ask you..." So, that's a GOOD thing, right? Of course, if they went to my website and said to themselves, "It's not that impressive," I am NOT sure if they would have followed up with a meeting with me!
My point in all of this is that you never get a second chance to make a good first impression, as the saying goes. And a website that looks like it was built in the '90s can make people discouraged. What is your mission, your vision, your values? What are you trying to accomplish strategically? What are your revenue goals? How can I as a volunteer, board member, funder, connector, or raving fan help you? (Those are the Five T's, by the way: Time, Talent, Treasure, Ties, and Testimony.) And, what are the different ways to make gifts to your org, including cash, retirement plans, real estate, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, life insurance, tangible personal property, and more?
Enter Dr. Robert Levey, the incredibly accomplished leader of a group called Exponential Squared, which focuses on six key areas: 1) Leadership/Board Training; 2) Fundraising; 3) Development; 4) Strategic Planning; 5) Organizational Assessments; and 6) Marketing. For the sake of focus, at least for this piece, we are going to zone in on that sixth area of expertise: Marketing. Specifically, how effective marketing can ensure your message reaches a wider audience, sparks conversations, and ignites interest in your mission, services, or product, as I alluded to above. As Dr. Rob notes on his own website, "nonprofits often struggle with marketing, whose activities are often rooted in budget constraints, limited resources, and the difficulty of quantifying social impact. Overcoming these hurdles requires strategic creativity, a clear brand identity, and adept use of cost-effective digital strategies to authentically engage supporters and communicate the organization’s mission effectively." I could not have said it better.
Dr. Rob and I have brainstormed about the common parts of a website that most nonprofits need, and he and his team offer those fundamental parts to nonprofits who are embarrassed about their own web presence. The look, the message, the ask, and the ease of making gifts from the assets that the donor has is just one aspect of how Exponential Squared delivers on its own mission. To learn more about Dr. Rob, read below:
|